A Change in Destiny
by ButtonPusherExtraordinaire
Summary: A small alteration can change the entire fabric of the universe, rewriting the mythos of heroes. What if destiny decreed that Kal-El wouldn't be raised as Clark Kent? What if Kal-El's pod never landed on Earth? Destiny cackles from its perch above all creation, lauding its own courage; it has designed a story of glory for the universe will know of Kal-El, the son of Darkseid. AU!
1. Prologue

**This is an AU! Here are the basics:**

 **Based on of the DCEU.** **It will be a Kal-El-centric story; he will have a harem because that's the most realistic thing for someone as powerful as him.**

 **Kryptonians were feared throughout the entire universe; even Darkseid was hesitant to cross them. The Kryptonians had a tradition called Eradication. Any race they thought was challenging their power would be slaughtered.** **Nobody was shown mercy and the races' technology were integrated into Krypton's own, furthering their arsenal. To find out more, read my other Superman story:** _ **Searching For a Place to Belong**_

 **I've looked for a story like this one and I was flabbergasted when there were none. If there is actually one out there, please message me so I can make sure I'm not plagiarizing or anything.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Justice League or any of the characters associated with DC Comics.**

XxXxXxXxXxX

The ruler of Apokolips resided on his throne. The shadows reflected his mood as darkness was prominent among the burning hellish fire. To all outward appearances, the self-proclaimed god was his stoic, evil, and cunning self but inward, Darkseid was brooding.

All his plans had failed before he could even implement them. Centuries of work and preparation all for naught; because Krypton was gone, and all the infinite treasures and knowledge it possessed with it. Darkseid overlooked the Lowlies being tortured in the firepits and for the first time in his long life, he felt disappointed. He was raised on the stories of _power_ the Kryptonians wielded and was always in awe of them. He wanted to be them, be _better_ than them. They were the standard he held himself to. The mission he placed on his shoulders: to pass Krypton as most feared in the universe.

His time was to come. Soon, the cosmos would be under his heel and it would be because Darkseid dared to challenge the unchallengeable. He felt cheated. The _one_ thing he strove to beat was taken from him.

In only a few centuries, no longer than another millennium, his plan was to be ready to commence. He was to undertake the unthinkable: invade Krypton itself and lay siege to their race. He was to take their greatest treasure: the Codex. For millennia, rumors had continuously reached his ears of Krypton's Codex and the power it held.

Able to create an infinite amount of pure blooded Kryptonians.

With the Codex in his grasp, Darkseid would have been able to create the strongest army imaginable, warriors that were capable of anything. Nobody in the universe could ever hope to stand against him and he would remake the cosmos in _his_ image. He would have _all_ the power. He was _so close_ to reaching the goal he set forth millennia ago when DeSaad informed him of the tragedy.

Krypton was _gone_.

When he heard the news, he didn't believe it. How could the _Kryptonians_ be extinct? They were the greatest of all the races, the first to create an interstellar empire spanning countless galaxies and worlds. The ones to unlock the _very secrets_ of the universe to discover the Anti-Life equation and _more_. They were the ones who unearthed the power to kill gods! That's how they made the Codex, by killing Rao and fastening his skull into the Codex! They were the eradicators! They just couldn't be gone. It was preposterous! The Kryptonians were the universe's undisputed king. Nothing, until Darkseid's plan was to be implemented, could dethrone them. They could _never_ just be _gone!_

Darkseid had to investigate the matter himself. He used a Mother Box - the only one he possessed - and open a boom tube to Krypton's part of the universe. When the Mother Box didn't immediately incinerate from Krypton's galactic defenses, Darkseid knew DeSaad spoke the truth.

Everything was ruined.

Nobody else could provide him with a challenge. Krypton was the _only_ worthy opponent he could try to overcome.

New Genesis was so _boring_ and predictable. His brother, Izaya had such a pretentious superiority complex. He thought he was the _savior_ of their race and was _so_ willing to betray Darkseid. He turned his weakling of a son, Orion against him and preached about the greatness of _peace_. He had banned Darkseid from ever leaving his section of the galaxy, forcing him to stay on the planet while the rest of the universe forgot about him.

He _truly_ hated his brother.

He was not a fool though. While he himself was _very_ powerful, the most powerful of his race, he wouldn't stand a chance against New Genesis. It would be him versus everyone else. His brother had taken the rest of their race and created their _perfect_ utopia. He was not arrogant enough to challenge Izaya and his flock of _pretenders_. Darkseid was by himself. He does have his son, Kalibak, and nephew, Steppenwolf but they are _such_ a disgrace.

He couldn't believe they're of his blood.

Darkseid believed that Izaya's betrayal stemmed from the murder of their younger brother, Uxas, by Darkseid's hand. Izaya was too much of a shortsighted fool to understand Darkseid's motives. It was simple. They were both raised on stories of the prophecy their father's father uttered before Yuga Khan killed him:

 _The son of evil will end his father's reign_ _  
_ _Evil's final obstruction will be in vain_

 _Planets will fall and galaxies will crumble_ _  
_ _Yet, hope will unite under a strong symbol_

 _A new era will disperse throughout the stars_ _  
_ _Thanks to evil's son's power of a quasar_

Their father was Evil himself, and since Uxas was the strongest of Yuga Khan's 3 sons, Darkseid had always believed that his brother would seize their father's power when it should be Darkseid himself who gained it. Their father had made a competition of their existence, never holding any love or attachment for his offspring. Uxas was the only one who dared to go against their father because he never saw eye-to-eye with Yuga Khan. He would often confide in his brothers about a plan to kill their father. Darkseid, unlike his traitorous kin, was loyal to Yuga Khan so he assassinated his brother and took Uxas' power for his own.

Izaya changed after that. Darkseid will _never_ forget the amusement he felt when Izaya noticed that _he_ had acquired Uxas' Omega Energy. Izaya didn't have the power to avenge his fallen brother, and once their father had died through Darkseid's trickery, Izaya betrayed him and took the rest of their race to create New Genesis.

"My lord, Darkseid." DeSaad's voice reached his ears. His servant had the annoying ability to appear during Darkseid's foulest moods.

"What?" He snapped, eyes throbbing with the power of _his_ Omega Beams. He did not have time for any inconsequential matters that DeSaad found needed to be changed.

"My lord, a ship has crash-landed near the Parademon cages. The ship killed several hundred Lowlies, my lord. The technology is unlike anything I have ever seen and if I had to venture a guess, I would say it was Kryptonian." DeSaad's kneeling form sounded confident, too confident.

Darkseid slowly turned around, "Are you certain?"

DeSaad stared at the floor, "Yes, my lord."

"If you are wrong… I will kill you, DeSaad." Darkseid growled. He had never been led astray, but Darkseid believed his servant's luck had finally run out, "Show me."

"Of course, most honorable Darkseid." DeSaad walked with conviction, head held high and stride purposeful.

Darkseid followed his servant to the cages and saw the enormous crater the ship had created. Bodies of Lowlies littered the crater and he knew this mess would take weeks for the rest of the Lowlies to repair.

DeSaad stopped at the end of the crater, "There it is, Sire." He sounded smug, his dark eyes gleamed with triumph. His posture was just shy of arrogant.

DeSaad was right, the technology of the ship was _very_ advanced. It was built with a similar design to the Kryptonian Mass Weaponry Destroyer. The only difference he could distinguish was that the craft was smaller and it had no ion blasters or matter incinerators. Darkseid's attention was drawn to the 'S' symbol engraved on the ship's side. His eyes widened. He knew that symbol. His father, Yuga Khan told him legends as a boy of the House of El and the weapons they built from _nothing_. The stories of conquest they ravaged during eradication. They were the universe's greatest builders, creators, and warriors.

The ship was Kryptonian.

Darkseid jumped into the crater and the ground shook when he landed. He heard bones being crunched as stepped forward, staring at the pristine metal. He ran his hands along the side of the ship and felt agonizing heat scorch his hand. He clenched his jaw in pain and pulled his hand back. His palm was burned to a crisp.

The ship was _definitely_ Kryptonian.

Only they had technology like _that._ Darkseid heard a noise emitting from the other side and looked at his slowly healing hand. A few more minutes and it would be completely restored. He peered around the edge and saw what was clearly a Kryptonian infant.

The Kryptonian's head snapped to meet Darkseid's gaze and looked at him curiously. Those eyes held intelligence, potential to know _everything_ and become a god.

"Sire?" DeSaad had joined him in the crater to behold the gift that the Source had gifted him with.

"Congratulations, DeSaad. You are now my advisor." Darkseid was feeling generous. It wasn't because he liked DeSaad. Quite the opposite actually. He found his servant to be too arrogant but he did have his uses. If one of the Lowlies had reported the craft to him, Darkseid would have promoted the peasant to become under Steppenwolf's command.

DeSaad dropped to his knees in awe, "You honor me, most powerful Darkseid."

"Consider it a reward for your finding of this _treasure_." Darkseid continued to stare at the Kryptonian. He would become _glorious_ under his tutelage.

"As you wish, Sire." DeSaad rose and peered at the baby. He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, "What is that, Sire?"

An enormous animal was snuggled against the child and stared at them intently, the animal's eyes held more intelligence than his own son, Kalibak. Darkseid suspected the creature was a Rondor, Krypton's most dangerous and evolved animal. He wondered if the stories about the creature's untamable nature were true. He doubted it because the one guarding the child seemed almost… docile. Maybe, the creature was as much an infant as the Kryptonian was. He hoped that was the case. Having a Rondor would be _quite_ fortuitous. He felt a presence touch his mind and saw the Rondor's eyes glowing. He easily shrugged the presence away and turned to DeSaad.

"Ask him what the Kryptonian's name is." Darkseid ordered, "The creature is telepathic."

DeSaad didn't hesitate, "Kal-El," he said after several moments.

Kal-El. He smiled as a plan formed in his mind.

Considering it would be an insult to the Kryptonian who gifted Darkseid with this _treasure_ , he decided to keep the name as a show of respect. He would be his knight and eventually, Kal-El would become his heir, a _proper_ heir who would _not_ fail him.

"DeSaad, I want to present you to my son, Kal-El." Darkseid smiled victoriously.

DeSaad swiftly fell to his knees before the new son of Darkseid, "It is an _honor_ to meet you Kal-El, son of the most powerful Darkseid."

Darkseid could see the future… and it was glorious:

 _Izaya was on his knees begging for mercy. Destruction raged behind him, New Genesis broken into unsalvageable pieces, and death reigned over the planet. A being in dark armor with glowing red eyes floated forward like a reaper coming to claim the souls of the fallen. 'No'. The being growled out with such intensity Darkseid felt delicious chills flood his body. 'You have disgraced, my father. For this unforgivable slight you will die, Izaya.' The being with glowing red eyes blurred forward and punched his hand through his brother's chest, crushing the heart inside. Izaya fell to the ground, dead. Lifeless eyes stared up in fear at the being. The planet's once pristine environment was now soaked with the blood of the slain. Chaos was ubiquitous and his brother's murderer was at the very center. His eyes glowed with such intensity, brighter than any sun, each eye pulsing like a heartbeat with absolute power. Scorching heat wafted from his body and beams of pure energy surged out of his glowing eyes. Everything in the being's sight was incinerated. He was the unforgiving winter and punishing summer, Heaven's swift and terrible sword. The being levitated off the blood-stained land, death following him like a shadow._

Darkseid opened his eyes, allowing a smile to grace his malevolent features. Destiny was on his side. He would need to alter his plans and that would take decades, maybe centuries, but with his new son's help, the universe will fall before him and nobodycould stop him.

XxXxXxXxXxX

 **What do you think? Should I continue this? I'd appreciate if you let me know.**

 ****I know Uxas is Darkseid's real name, but I wanted Highfather and Darkseid to be brothers (which they are in New 52) but Steppenwolf was not Izaya's son so I added another brother, a stronger brother, who possessed the Omega Energy.**

 ****I've always loved the idea of Kal-El crashing on Apokolips and being raised by Darkseid as his heir/son. If you have seen the animated Superman series from the 90's, the finale of the series details Darkseid brainwashing Superman into becoming his son and attacks Earth. There's also a comic story called Superman: The Dark Side. Those are what jump-started this idea. Tell me what you think!**

 ** _Stay Safe_** _ **  
**_ **ButtonPusher**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Justice League or any of the characters associated with DC Comics.**

XxXxXxXxXxX

Kal-El quietly snuck through the halls of the palace. His father had been hiding something for the past several months and he wanted to know what it was. He had just finished training with his cousin, Steppenwolf, brother, Kalibak, and the Furies.

It was always so funny how Kalibak would roar in anger when Kal managed to hit him. They never got along, Kalibak resented him for some reason and always strove to harm him as much as possible when training. Kal was _so_ thankful for his healing abilities, at only 8 years old it was very difficult to defend himself from Kalibak's onslaught.

From the second Kal was able to walk at only a few months, Darkseid threw him into the ring against his brother and cousin. The first couple of years were _very_ challenging. Kal was eviscerated constantly. His healing factor saved him every time. Now, he had learned and was actually capable of catching Kalibak and Steppenwolf off guard and subsequently injure him.

Lashina, one of the Furies, had taken an _interest_ in him from the moment he could remember, which was the day he met her. So had Barda, another Fury. He didn't know what to think of them.

" _Someone's coming!"_ Kross' voice echoed in Kal's mind. He looked to his animal companion. Kross had thrived on Apokolips, growing strong and becoming Kal's greatest friend. He stood on 4 legs, taller than Kalibak and his dark eyes were glowing, signaling that he was speaking telepathically.

" _How far?"_ Kal glanced around the hall for a place to hide. He didn't want to get caught; last time for punishment, Darkseid had sent him to Granny. _That_ was not fun.

" _She's coming around the corner!"_ Kross quickly grabbed Kal in his jaws and bolted to the nearest shadow behind one of the pillars. Kal's eyes widened as he noticed the person step into the hall.

Myrina.

She was carrying a small bundle in her arms and looking wildly in every direction, paranoia wafting off her in waves.

She had been in the palace for a little less than a year and Kal never liked her. The feeling was mutual. Whenever eye contact was made between them, Kal felt uncomfortable under her cold gaze. It felt like she was pondering possible ways to kill him in the most painful ways.

" _She's scared."_ Kross whispered in his mind, _"She's carrying a… child?"_ Kross sounded incredulous, _"She's carrying a child!"_ He roared in his mind and Kal winced in pain.

He pried his way out of Kross' jaw and jumped in front of Myrina, "What are you doing?" He demanded. He was the Son of Darkseid, nobody could deny him. He might only be a child in size, but he was a Kryptonian. Far more evolved at only 8 years of age than most races in the universe.

Myrina took a step back in shock and then her eyes narrowed in abhorrence, "Get out of my way, filth!" She screeched. Myrina always seemed reasonable but now, she looked unstable, eyes wide, body shaking, and lips curled back in a hateful snarl. Her eyes darted to Kross, who stepped out of the shadows and growled lowly, daring her to force him to attack.

Kal's eyes widened. Myrina _was_ scared, Kross was right. He looked at the bundle in her arms. He noticed a small movement from the bundle, he remembered Kross' declaration, 'She's carrying a child.' He had said. Myrina glanced down as a sound emitted from the bundle, "Is that a baby?" Kal asked warily, shifting his body slightly to the side in preparation for an attack.

" _WITCH!_ TREACHEROUS _THIEF!_ " His father's voice boomed throughout the castle and Kal knew that Myrina was the reason behind Darkseid's anger. He swallowed as she advanced forward and knew she was going to try and kill him.

Myrina immediately jumped at him and kicked him violently in the face. He heard a small _crack_ and knew he broke or at least fractured her foot. Kal stumbled into one of the pillars, cracks appearing from where he gripped the material. Kross roared in outrage.

Myrina was limping away, grimacing with every step she took. Kross jumped in front of her, snarling in rage. Myrina pulled a sword out of her scabbard and held the child in the other, "I WILL _KILL_ YOU ALL! YOU _WON'T_ GET HER!" She leaped forward and attempted to stab Kross but Kal intercepted her. He slammed into her body and they both went flying into the wall. Kross caught the baby, gently, in his jaw, _"I've got her. Be sure to keep- BEHIND YOU!"_

Kal felt the familiar pain of a sword stabbing through his chest. He roared in pain and a smoldering rage swelled within him, encouraging him to shed the blood of whom caused him pain. Myrina pulled her sword out and he fell to the ground, his body already beginning to heal.

" _Weak_ , just like all men." She said disdainfully, kicking her foot into his side. She winced as was flipped onto his back. She stared into his eyes, "I will do this universe a favor by slaying you." She brought her sword overhead in a downward arc; aching to kill him, to end the life of a child she hardly knew and hated from the moment she noticed him.

Instinct took control.

Intense pain flared in his eyes, beams of pure _heat_ surged out and incinerated Myrina's sword, burning her hands in the process. Kal stared in awe at the sight of her gnarled hands. He had no idea he could do that.

She screamed in pain, falling to her knees and stared at her scorched hands in disbelief, "You disgusting, filth! I will kill-" She was interrupted as Kross snuck behind her and clamped his jaw around her neck, ripping her head off, blood spurting out in all directions, covering his friend in red.

Kal saw the baby lying gently by Kross' giant foot, protected from the gory sight, "Thanks." he rasped out, he looked down at his wound, it had fully healed. He stood up and walked to his friend, petting his chest. He didn't care that Myrina's blood began to seep from Kross' mouth into his hair. He was well accustomed to the feel of blood, "That was quite unexpected." He murmured, staring at the baby. Who was she? Why would his father be angry at Myrina? Did it have to do with the secret he had been hiding?

"Well done, Kal-El." His father's voice boomed behind him.

His eyes widened and he swiftly turned around, falling to his knees, "Father,"

"Rise, my son." Darkseid stepped forth and Kal obediently did as told, "You have done me a great service, Kal-El." His father looked down at him. He smirked at the blood staining his hair, "Did you kill her?"

Kal shook his head, "No, father. Kross did. He beat me to it." He growled, he _really_ wanted to be the one who ended it.

Darkseid chuckled lowly, "You still prevented that witch from leaving the castle. For that, you will be rewarded generously."

"Thank you, father." Kal bowed his head.

Darkseid seemed to grin at Myrina's decapitated corpse, "You failed, witch. My _son_ stopped you." He turned and approached Kross, "I made the correct decision in allowing you to live, Rondor." Kross didn't dare try to speak telepathically. To do so, would be a grave error. His animal companion bowed his head and shuffled towards Kal.

"I know you know that I have been keeping things from you, my son. Now, today you will learn the reason for my secrecy." He turned slightly, "Come, Kal-El. Meet your sister, Grail."

Kal's eyes widened and he quickly stood next to his father, gazing at the infant. She had a grayish-white skin tone and Kal could see black hair beginning to grow on her head, "I have a sister?" He looked at the baby in awe. He hoped she was _not_ like Kalibak.

"Yes, she was born several hours ago. Her mother was the witch." Darkseid growled and his eyes glowed molten red. Identical beams of Omega Energy shot out and curved their way into Myrina's corpse, incinerating it, "Now, I will have 2 worthy children. No more _disgraces._ " His father's visage turned cold, "The only reason the witch was ever brought here was to bear me a daughter. She hailed from a special race on Earth called Amazons. They were all beautiful, strong, intelligent, and durable. Nothing compared to my power or your future power, Kal-El, but above that of a human. Our union created Grail, daughter of Darkseid."

"Congratulations, father, I'm sure Grail will succeed where others have failed."

"Yes… I believe she will under your guidance, Kal-El."

"You honor me, Father."

The lord of Apokolips seemed bigger somehow, "It is not undeserved, Kal-El. You will rise above any others. I trust you will be the perfect son, you have upheld that trust thus far. I expect you to mate with Grail when you both come of age; my bloodline will forever be intertwined with your own, spawning heirs that will be the pinnacle of power. If you wish, you may mate with any of the Furies; they have shown desire many times to become your concubines, my son."

Kal blinked, "Of course, Father. Your will be done."

"Your dedication and loyalty pleases me, Kal-El."

Kal knew to keep quiet. To slather more thanks to his father would only earn him Darkseid's ire. He learned his lesson last time, Granny was quite _educational_ in his punishment.

"Take Grail to her room, it is next to your own." His father turned around and stalked out of the hall. Brother and sister and animal were left alone, only fire and darkness their companions.

" _I thought she smelled familiar…"_ Kross bumped Kal's back with his head.

" _Well, I can't believe this actually happened. Father is well known for his disdain for children."_

Kross shuffled closer to Grail, sniffing along the way, _"You should probably do as your father ordered."_

Kal quickly grabbed Grail's form and held her in his arms.

It was strange.

He's never seen a baby before, he knows what a baby is from his studies but to be in the presence of one was far different than what any words could describe. His sister shifted to the side and Kal quickly rushed to Grail's room before things could become any more awkward.

" _You aren't afraid to be stabbed clean through, but a baby unnerves you."_ Kross' amusement was easily heard.

Kal glared at his friend, _"I've never seen one before, nonetheless held one! It felt uncomfortable… Do you think she'll be like Kalibak?"_ He inquired.

" _With you there, I don't think she will. But what do I know? I'm just a Rondor."_ Kross sulked.

" _You are far more than that, Kross. You know that. You're my friend, the one who has always had my back."_ Kal stared into his friend's glowing eyes.

Kross tilted his side to the side and abruptly head-butted Kal's chest, _"You wouldn't survive a day without me."_ He snarked.

Kal shook his head, _"We'll never have to find out."_ He said confidently.

The last two Kryptonian species stepped through Kal's door, leading into his chambers. Kal didn't need sleep, food, or substance to keep his body in peak condition. He was taught since the day he was found by Darkseid to meditate. The true stature of a warrior was not measured by physical prowess, but by their mental discipline. Kal took that lesson to heart and would abide his father's advice daily, meditating for hours at a time with Kross nestled behind him.

Kal closed his eyes and focused his mind on the fight with Myrina. There were many mistakes that would need to be rectified so they wouldn't reappear in a future confrontation.

'Kal-El of Krypton, Son of Darkseid will be glorious'. That's what Darkseid boasted to Kalibak and Steppenwolf, to anyone who would listen.

He _will not_ disappoint his father.

XxXxXxXxXxX

His father was going to be _so_ angry. Kal and the Furies, who Grail had just joined, were given the task of killing a creature named Mongul because their father desired the cretin's War World laser emitter beam. By killing him, Kal would take control of the War World and present it to Darkseid. Things were not going as planned.

Apparently, they weren't the only party after Mongul. It wasn't surprising, really. Mongul had made _a lot_ of enemies throughout the universe, especially in the galaxy they're currently in. Bounty Hunters swarmed in their path and Kal released a blast of his heat vision, their agonizing screams of death were so amusing.

Mongul was ahead on his anti-gravity bike. They needed to stop fooling around and get the task completed. He saw Grail smirk and jump on one of the few remaining hunter's back, snapping the female's neck, and shoving the corpse at another hunter, who wasn't able to dodge and crashed into a fiery death.

"Nicely done," Kal complimented, "I couldn't have done it better myself." He actually would have thrown the hunter off her bike into the other hunter and then blasted his heat vision at them. Grail's way worked just as well.

Grail smirked, dark eyes gleaming with bloodlust, "I learned from the best, brother."

He nodded and his eyes gained a predatory glow as Mongul was only a few seconds in front of them. Just as Kal surged forward to slam into Mongul, his prey disappeared. Kal slammed into the ground, making a small crater. He levitated out immediately, scanning the terrain. Mongul was gone!

He could teleport!

"Father's going to be pissed, did you know he could teleport?"

"Obviously he didn't," Barda said dryly, eyes scanning their surroundings while rubbing her hammer.

Lashina laugher, "None of us knew he could teleport. That's quite interesting that an imbecile like Mongul could keep that ability a secret."

For his failure, Kal will probably be ravaged by Darkseid's Omega Beams _again_ for punishment. That was the only thing - that he knew of - to could cause him pain and they were _excruciatingly_ painful. The torture made him stronger though, so he didn't fight against the assault on his body. Now that he was 26, greater things were expected of him and Darkseid expected greater results.

Kal turned to her, eyes glowing demonically red, "No! Of course not, if I did, we would have implemented a different strategy!"

Grail raised her arms in a placating gesture, "Alright, he has to still be on the planet. The War World is orbiting Korugar, so that means Mongul will head to the nearest teleportation pad. We'll need to get there before he does."

"She's right, but couldn't Mongul just teleport directly to the War World?" Lashina asked, twirling her whips.

"No, I would bet my weight in gold that teleporting exhausts Mongul. Since _nobody_ knew he could do that, he has never been able to practice and build his endurance. Fool." Barda said.

"Come on!" Kal growled, bolting into the air, creating multiple sonic booms in his wake. For the next several seconds time was still, nothing could ever touch him and the feel of having that _much_ power was euphoric.

The main capital of Korugar came into view and Kal increased his speed tenfold, slamming into the ground, shaking the entire city; buildings' foundations cracked and toppled over, but he didn't care about the damage; he was angry!

He wanted Mongul's head on a pike! He _always_ caught his prey! For Mongul to outwit him was _unacceptable_ and he _will_ pay for slighting him. Beings like Mongul were cowards, always vanishing when tough times appeared. Kal wanted to fight someone who had a backbone, not a spineless cretin like Mongul.

"A little over the top, don't you think, Brother?" Grail arrived next to him in a blur, amused at the destruction his landing caused. Lashina and Barda arrived and looked just as amused.

"Why would I care for this place? This planet is occupied by the weak. Sinestro's Corps dominate the planet and _they_ don't fight back! They are _weak!_ " He started using his x-ray vision to look for the nearest teleportation pad and while simultaneously honing his hearing to listen for Mongul's heart.

Grail nodded, "That is true, but we don't want to draw attention to ourselves."

"Once _again,_ " Lashina said irritably, "Grail is correct. Sinestro's Corps _is_ powerful, feared by Oa."

"I'll kill anyone who stands in my way." He growled, he began to levitate and _there!_ He found Mongul, "I found him, let's go!"

Kal blurred away and within seconds, arrived at Mongul's location. He plowed into his prey's body, relishing the sound of Mongul's surprised groan of pain. He picked him up and tossed him into an adjacent building. Pandemonium swept across the street, civilians scampered away, their shrieks reached his ears. They ran away from the terror of instant death.

He was surprised one of them didn't try to play 'hero' and save the day. He waited for one of them to try and kill him, but none ever came. He didn't let his surprise hinder him, he blasted his heat vision into the foundation of the building and it crashed on top of Mongul, trapping him or killing him. It didn't matter; he had finished his task. If he was somehow still alive, then he will kill him.

"Hey, that fraggers _mine!_ " Kal felt a fist connect with his face and was actually surprised when he barely felt it. He only felt any touch from Grail, the Furies, his father, Kalibak, and Steppenwolf. He was also surprised this civilian decided to attack now, instead of earlier. Kal turned to see his attacker and was met with the sight of a being that looked his own age, with red eyes, long black hair cascading to his shoulders. He was as tall as Kal and his skin was white with small black streaks on his face below his blood-painted eyes. He was only wearing pants and sturdy-looking chains wrapped around his forearms with sharp spikes at the ends, an effective tool to catch a quarry off guard. Weapons were hooked on his pants and huge boots covered his feet.

"I was here first, bub! Get lost!" The being growled out trying to punch him again, when Grail crashed into the being's form, sending him into one of the buildings.

"Who is that guy?" Barda asked incredulously as she stood next to Kal.

Kal shrugged, "I have no clue. I suspect he is another Bounty Hunter. If he is, then he is _a lot_ smarter than any of the others we encountered." Kal realized this being hadn't attacked him earlier because he was waiting for Kal to let his guard down, by releasing his heat vision at the building, the being thought he had the advantage to get the drop on him. Kal watched, impressed, as their adversary hopped back onto his feet.

"Who are you, losers?" Their suspected Bounty Hunter aimed weapons at their faces, weapons that Kal noticed were a lot more advanced than what most beings could acquire. They were superior, and thus they were a symbol. The Bounty Hunter's weapons were a mark of status, of sophistication. A weapon of that degree was no less of a symbol of how bountiful you were then many treasures. The weapon was a subtle point of identification - only a dangerous being would carry the weapon with such familiarity, such ease. The weapon couldn't hurt him, he doubted he would even feel them, but they might be able to actually hurt Grail and the Furies.

"Who are _you_?" Kal asked curiously. This guy had real balls; it's not often he met beings like this one, maybe never.

The being smirked, "The name's Lobo. That's 'L' as in lacerate. 'O' as in obliterate. 'B' as in baleful and 'O' as in - Oh… Well, I guess I can use obliterate twice. What do you think?" Lobo chuckled.

Kal couldn't help himself, he laughed loudly. That was funny, Lobo seemed to be very boisterous.

"You like that, huh? Good, I've been working on that for a while. Now, I'm going to have to ask you four fraggers to scram! The Main Man _always_ delivers and I am supposed to deliver _his_ carcass so I can receive a heap of cash." Lobo touched a button on his weapon and it glowed dark orange, "Now, I like you four. It's not often that the Main Man likes someone, so I'll let you four fraggers live. Sound good?"

Lashina raised a brow, unimpressed, "Who placed the bounty on Mongul?"

Lobo's eyes trailed down Lashina's body, "You're gorgeous. As soon as I collect my bounty, how about I give you a night to remember? I ain't called the 'Main Man' for nothing."

Lashina's whips crackled with energy, " _Who_ placed the bounty?"

Kal raised his brows, "I'd answer her question if I were you, Lobo."

The Bounty Hunter frowned, "Why do you geeks care?"

"We're just curious," Kal said innocently. In his mind, he was plotting the death of whoever placed the bounty; they've caused him a lot of trouble.

"Whatever, the bounty was put on the market a little over a decade ago. Everyone who took the task to complete the bounty was fragged and never returned. I _will be_ the first and Darkseid will reward me generously." Lobo twirled his gun in his hand.

Kal's eyes widened and he looked at Grail who was just as shocked. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it, and closed it again. Barda and Lashina tried to suppress their disbelief; they were not successful.

"So, are you geezers happy?" Lobo looked at the fallen building, Mongul was emerging from the wreckage, looking livid, "Now, the Main Man needs to get back to work. Get this fragger beat into a carcass!" He stalked toward Mongul's furious form. Kal held out his arm, keeping the Furies from stopping Lobo.

"Let this play out." He said quietly and they immediately obeyed.

After a minute of observing, Kal noticed two things: Mongul was _clearly_ stronger, but Lobo had an _incredible_ healing factor, almost instantaneous, one that seemed to actually surpass his own. Lobo's weapons seemed to annoy Mongul more than anything and Kal knew this fight could potentially last forever. He looked to the Furies, "Make _sure_ Lobo doesn't try to disappear. Keep him _here._ I don't care what you have to do." He ordered, not waiting for their response and blitzed Mongul into the already fallen building.

They crashed through tons of material and hard metals until Kal ceased his assault and let Mongul fall on his face, dusts popping up from the alien's landing, clouds of dirt obscuring the view for anyone except Kal.

"You are going to _die_ , Mongul." His eyes glowed brilliantly, "You will pay for the insult you dealt me." Kal growled out, "What is the War World's teleportation code?"

Mongul stood up, turned around and chuckled, "Who are you, _boy_? A Bounty Hunter like all the other fools who have come before?" He stalked closer, trying to become the predator; he failed.

"What is the teleportation code for the War World?"

"I'm not telling you, _boy._ You'll have to kill me. Now, are you a Bounty Hunter, _boy?_ "

Kal smirked, "No, Mongul. I am not a Bounty Hunter. I'm much worse." He let loose a scorching blast of his heat vision and he delighted in the screams of pain his prey released. He continued his assault and floated closer, increasing his blast tenfold.

Eventually, he shut his eyes, beams of energy dispersing, and opened them again. He was surprised and slightly impressed to see that Mongul was still alive. Kal scanned him with his x-ray vision and located the code inside his stomach. It was a very advanced code, designed to automatically change after each usage; very rare to find.

"Who… are… you?" Mongul was dying; his efforts to prolong the inevitable were futile.

Kal humored him, "I am Kal-El of Krypton, Son of Darkseid." Those would be the last words Mongul would ever hear. Kal drove his vibrating hand inside Mongul's body and gruesomely ripped it out, the code in hand, of his prey's body, blood spurting into his face. Mongul roared in agony and pitifully tried to pull his body away. Kal was not going to show mercy, his eyes glowed red, blinding his insulter and Kal focused his vision on Mongul's neck and discharged heat, severing Mongul's head.

He looked down proudly at his work. The expression etched permanently into Mongul's face was one of pure terror. Kal incinerated the corpse and flew out of the _battlefield_. He found Lobo hanging off of Lashina's whips; the Furies were waiting for him.

His sister raised a brow at his proudly displayed trophy and smirked, "Nicely done, Brother."

"I approve," Barda chuckled, hands trailing down his armor seductively.

"Now, I'll be taking that off your hands. The Main Man will be the one to collect that reward." Lobo interjected, hands trying to reach his weapons, ready to attack them; he was unable to do so.

"We cannot do that," Kal held up a hand, keeping Lobo from interrupting him, "But we can get you your money."

"How's that? Do you have _any_ idea how much the fragging bounty was?" Lobo growled.

Kal had no idea there even _was_ a bounty, nonetheless that it was placed by his father years ago, "Darkseid is my father." He said simply.

Lobo blinked and then burst out laughing, "You're fragging kidding! There ain't no way _you_ are _his_ kid."

"Are you calling him a liar?" Grail snarled. She and the rest of the Furies drew their weapons, aching to behead Lobo for his insult.

"You're darn straight, lady!" Lobo snarked back.

Kal sighed. This was going nowhere, "He _is_ my father, and I will take you to him."

Lobo scrunched his huge eyebrows, "And if this is all some scam?"

"You will get Mongul's head and nothing will happen to you. You have my word that the truth has been spoken."

"I still think you're full of dung, but call me curious. I'll go with you losers." Lobo smirked, "How we getting to-"

"Quiet." Kal hissed. Lobo heard the urgency in his tone and quieted, looking for any threats to reveal themselves and desperately trying to escape from Lashina's whips. The Furies looked at him and Kal waved his hand impatiently. He dimly heard Lashina sigh reluctantly and release Lobo.

Kal wasn't focusing on them; he heard _many_ beings approaching from the North.

It seemed the Sinestro Corps was finally making an appearance. He was surprised it took them this long. They just revealed a critical weakness because of their delay: they're sloppy and inconsistent.

His eyes followed their movements until they appeared before them, arrogance wafting off their forms as they floated above Kal, Lobo, and the Furies.

"Halt! This is the Sinestro Corps! Put down your weapons and we will give you a swift death. If not, a painful one." A purple skinned being wearing a Yellow Lantern ring floated forward, obviously the leader. That must be Sinestro. He was backed by an army, well over a thousand strong at his beck and call.

He didn't like those odds. Lanterns were powerful beings, only because of those rings but powerful nonetheless. If they fight, they _could_ die. If they surrender, they _will_ die.

The first one it is.

Kal smiled, he always loved a challenge, "Well, you can never say I was a coward." He taunted Sinestro.

Sinestro smirked and his ring flashed a bright yellow, followed by an intense flash of bright yellow from the combined might of his Army doing the same. They were ready to fight.

"Are you with us, Lobo?" Kal looked at the Bounty Hunter.

He looked ecstatic, his eyes were wide with joy and he beamed at Kal, "Frack yeah! I've always wanted to fight an Army! Going out with STYLE!" He roared and started blasting the Lanterns.

Kal laughed in delight. Lobo was a being after his own heart, he had a feeling they were going to get along swimmingly. He'd never had a male friend beside Kross; Kalibak and Steppenwolf didn't count. They were family and DeSaad was just strange.

"This will be fun, brother," Grail smirked and punched through the constructs, shattering the golden color into nothing.

Barda and Lashina followed Grail's example and attacked, forms dancing through the Lanterns. Eventually, Lashina was surrounded and Barda jumped into the fray, trying to help her fellow Fury.

Kal sighed, wishing Kross was with him but a Rondor was not inconspicuous. He'll just have to settle for sharing the story with his animal companion. He stared at the battle taking place, the Lanterns were easily dealing with Lobo and the Furies, snapping them with their constructs like a child might their toys. The Son of Darkseid would have to change that.

Kal exploded off the ground, creating a massive shockwave and plowed through dozens of Lanterns, killing as many as he could. He heard one try to sneak up on him and Kal spun his body in a circle, going faster and faster until a massive tornado formed. The distraction worked; the Lanterns were preoccupied and Kal unleashed a monstrous blast of heat vision, killing many and wounding few. He saw Lobo beginning to be overwhelmed and he blurred over, slaughtering all the Lanterns trying to kill his new friend.

"I had the frackers on their heels." Lobo protested vehemently.

Kal raised an eyebrow, "Really? Because from my vantage point, it looked like _you_ were about to be killed."

" _Nothing_ kills me!" Lobo said, while batting aside a Lantern, "I'm immortal!"

The Kryptonian didn't doubt that. From what he had seen, Lobo had the greatest healing factor he'd ever seen or heard of. He just didn't know where the healing factor stemmed from. He suspected it derived from Lobo's brain; it was doubtful that the Bounty Hunter could regenerate with his head chopped off.

"Your welcome!" Kal shouted and blurred over to Grail, yellow constructs beginning to slip past her defenses. He punched his fist through one of the Lantern's chest and the rest of them froze in shock. Kal took their hesitation for what it was: weakness. Grail laughed in delight and started killing as many as she could while Kal reciprocated.

He saw out of the corner of his eye, Barda blasted back into Lashina; the two tumbled to the ground. Lanterns advanced, undoubtedly seeking to kill.

Kal growled and bolted forward, plowing through the shields the Lanterns constructed in a feeble attempt to deter him. He landed in front of the downed females, " _That_ was a mistake!" He gripped Barda's hammer and threw it _hard_ towards the gathered minions of Sinestro.

The Maul plowed through their bodies, blood stained the ground and he helped Barda and Lashina to their feet, "Be _careful!_ Keep your feet _planted!"_ He growled, ears hearing a heart still beating from the once-gathered Lanterns.

One of them had tried to escape, taking to the sky in a futile effort to prolong his pitiful life. Kal bolted back into the sky. He quickly snapped the neck of the Lantern when he felt chain constructs wrap themselves around his body, squeezing as hard as the user could make them.

Kal looked up at Sinestro, " _Chains?_ " He asked incredulously, he felt insulted, "You're funny." He flexed and easily broke free, challenging his attacker.

"See your fears unleashed, boy!" Sinestro cried out, eyes glowing gold, matching the glow of the ring, "Now, you will know what true fear is."

Against his will, fear began to seep into Kal's mind. He tried to fight it, he held the tide back as long as he could but it soon proved to be too much. He was falling, trying to summon his flight but his abilities weren't there, he was _weak._ He smashed into nothing and when he looked up, he saw his father on his throne, staring at him with loathing and disgust. _"You disgust me. I can't believe I ever dared call you my son. You are weak, Kal-El! Unworthy, helpless, and a coward."_ Eyes glowed molten red, Omega Beams firing with potency, _"Goodbye, filth."_ The beams hit Kal's chest and he roared in hatred, his rage overpowering the ring's influence.

His eyes snapped open, glowing blood red, "You just lived your _last_ day, Sinestro."

"Unlikely," The leader of the Yellow Lantern Corps tried to suppress his own fear but Kal could _smell_ it, _hear_ it, _feel_ it, and _taste_ it.

Time stood still as he surged forward, hand gripping Sinestro's neck mercilessly, "Now, you die!" He didn't allow Sinestro a quick death, Kal's eyes glowed ominously, heat vision effortlessly lobotomizing Sinestro's entire brain. Triumph spread through him, he had just killed one of the most powerful Lantern users in the universe.

He held the limp body, eyes drawn to the ring. He plucked it off Sinestro's dead finger and unceremoniously dropped the body, watching it fall hundreds of feet. Kal stared at the ring, entranced by the power of it. _Fear_ was a powerful weapon, he had just found that out firsthand. It was a tool worthy of the Son of Darkseid. He slipped the ring on his finger, feeling the rush of energy surge through his body.

All the Yellow Lanterns immediately ceased their barrage and looked to Kal. His dark golden eyes glimmered at them, yellow armor covering his body, the power of fear coursing through his blood, "Surrender or die. I just killed your leader. What do you think I could do to all of you?" He asked the remaining soldiers. Sinestro had begun with easily a couple thousand soldiers, now there were only 700 that still breathed. He could _smell_ their fear, It was invigorating.

"Pick the second one!" Lobo shouted, arms waving manically, "I haven't had this much fun in my entire life! Choose 'death!' _He_ killed your leader! Are you not going to try and avenge him?" He beamed, arms spread wide in justification, begging for them to listen.

Lobo's words had the desired effect and the remaining Lanterns attacked - five vs seven hundred! Kal clenched his fist, focusing on the ring and whips of fear began slashing any who dared challenge him. He noticed Grail, Barda, Lashina, and Lobo laughing merrily and he allowed his own laughter to join in the chaos.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Fear swept through the city like a plague, civilians barricaded themselves in buildings, seeking to find salvation from the terror of inevitable death.

Kal gazed at all the Lantern bodies littering the streets, their rings had dissipated into golden energy and rushed into the ring on Kal's finger. He didn't feel different and he wondered if he was _supposed_ to; he had no idea.

He saw Lobo cleaning his gun, whistling merrily. The Furies were communicating with his father of the mission's success and the details of what had transpired via their Mother Box.

The ring was still on his finger, glowing with power under the fear of the civilians of the city. Kal was planning to incinerate all the bodies, rain fire upon the fallen like a forgotten deity, as he let loose his rage. He floated upward and his eyes glowed red. Kal unleashed his heat vision, head moving upward as he incinerated the once-mighty Sinestro Corps.

Kal stared at the ring on his finger. He closed his eyes and concentrated, willing the ring to bond with him, become _his_ bearer. Kal felt a connection form and he opened his eyes. His ring was glowing brightly, highlighting his features in brilliant gold. Kal smiled and tapped into his newfound connection to the ring. Fear spread through his blood and Kal was almost overwhelmed by the _sheer_ feeling of it.

Almost.

Kal could feel the fear of every person on the planet. The terror of all the civilians, the animals, even the robots. He was surprised that his sister and the Furies all feared the same thing; that _he_ , Kal, wouldn't love them like they did him. Lobo seemed to fear nothing. For some reason, that didn't surprise Kal.

Suddenly, the connection dissipated and the ring looked lifeless. Kal scowled as he realized it needed to recharge.

"Aww man! How come _you_ got to do that?" Lobo whined.

"I killed Sinestro, most of his army, and I saved your ungrateful hide."

Lobo raised a finger in protest, "Now, wait just a moment. You did _not_ save-"

"If you two are done bickering, Darkseid has requested for us to return with haste." Grail coolly informed them, "Do you have the teleportation code for the War World, Kal?"

"Yes, I pulled it out of Mongul's stomach."

Lobo laughed heartily, "I _like_ you, Kal was it?"

"Kal-El of Krypton, Son of Darkseid." He recited the phrase that came naturally.

"Well, Kal-El, are you a man of your word? Will you take me to your father?"

"I am a man of my word, Lobo. Our agreement from before still stands." Kal looked at Grail and tossed her the code, "Get everything secured and prep the War World for travel. Lashina and Barda, help her."

Lashina raised a brow, "Where are _you_ going?"

"To Sinestro's headquarters, to learn more about _this_." He held up his now lifeless ring.

"I'll go with ya, Kal-El. Color me curious." Lobo snaked an arm around his shoulder.

Grail glared at the Bounty Hunter, "If you _try_ anything-"

Lobo interrupted, "Don't worry, lady. From what I've seen thus far, my boy here wouldn't have _any_ trouble fragging me."

Grail smirked, "Remember that, Lobo." She stalked off and Lashina and Barda followed.

"Man, you're surrounded by _gorgeous_ babes! Have you tapped _any_ of that?"

Kal turned glowing eyes onto Lobo.

Lobo chuckled, doing an impressive job of hiding his nervousness, "I was kidding!" He glanced around, "Where are we going then, Kal? You don't mind if I call ya, Kal, do ya?"

Kal remembered what Sinestro's heartbeat sounded like and from the direction it came from, "We'll head north and no, I don't mind."

"Alright, Kal. Just gimme a sec," Lobo whistled loudly and Kal heard a motor roar to life across the city. The sound became louder and he picked out a flying motorcycle rushing towards them, "Ah! Here we are," Lobo grinned and the motorcycle stopped next to him, fire shooting out from the sides.

"Is that the bike Mongul was using?" Kal asked incredulously. It definitely was, he was certain; it had the same anti-gravity technology.

"Yes, that _fragger_ had the balls to steal _my_ bike! That's why I wanted to kill him so badly. Watching you carry his lobotomized head around as a trophy is good enough though," Lobo hopped on the bike and sighed in pleasure, "This, here is my baby. I got this as a celebration gift." He patted the side.

"Celebration of what?" Kal asked curiously.

"I'm the last Czarnian! I fragged my whole race for my high school science project." Lobo laughed aloud, "I gave myself an 'A' and bought this bad boy!"

Kal knew that Lobo was lying, his heartbeat had elevated _slightly,_ but he played along, "Nice, how'd you do it?"

"I created a swarm of lethal scorpion-like creatures and set them on my people, wiping out my entire species except myself." Lobo sounded proud, "I'm one of a kind, Kal."

"I'm pretty sure that if you weren't the last Czarnian, you'd still be one of a kind, Lobo."

"Aww, I love you too," Lobo smirked at him.

Kal rolled his eyes and levitated, "Want to race?" He challenged.

"Think you can keep up, Big Cheese?"

He chuckled, "I think so, Lobo."

The Bounty Hunter cracked his neck, "Alright, here are the rules," Lobo bolted off, cackling as he went, "THERE ARE NO RULES!"

Kal laughed. He and Lobo will become great friends.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Sinestro was a very sloppy being. His headquarters resembled more of a trashy bar instead of the home of the fearsome Yellow Lanterns. Trash littered the rooms, dead animals were stuffed into the walls, and blood was everywhere. Kal could smell everything and it was _not_ pleasant. He used his x-ray vision, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Surely, _this_ dump could not be their headquarters, it must be a facade, hiding the true treasure elsewhere.

He heard a _click_ , "Hey, Kal! I found something! These frackers think they were so smart, nobody outsmarts the Main Man!"

Kal appeared beside Lobo instantly, eyes observing what his friend had discovered. A keyhole appeared but it was unlike anything he had ever seen, it was glowing golden, flashing brighter every few seconds. The slot extended into the wall, metal arcing in a painful way.

"It looks like your new ring," Lobo commented, scrutinizing the keyhole.

Kal's eyes widened in understanding, "It's a scanner," He explained, "Only a Yellow Lantern can enter." He doubted any countermeasures to prevent unwanted visitors could match his strength but he was curious. He looked at the ring that was no longer glowing on his finger and sighed; he knew only fear would recharge it, that meant reliving that fear that Sinestro plagued him with.

He focused and his mind was assaulted with the vision once more. His body clenched and he felt the ring's power return.

Kal quickly opened his eyes and placed it directly in the slot, trying to rid himself of that vision.

The ring glowed brilliantly, so bright Kal noticed that Lobo had to avert his eyes. For several seconds nothing happened. Then, the floor beneath them disappeared and Kal gripped Lobo's arm to keep him from falling.

"What the frack? Did you know it would do that?" Lobo asked incredulously.

Kal shook his head, levitating above the hole, "No," He narrowed his eyes, staring down at the hole. Golden constructs were surrounding it, darkness beckoning them forward.

It was a portal.

"Come on, let's go." Kal didn't wait for Lobo's answer and dropped through the portal, still gripping Lobo's arm.

Nothing but darkness was seen, even Kal's vision couldn't penetrate through the darkness. He fired a small blast of his heat vision, hoping to find out where they were. The darkness was illuminated for several seconds and Kal saw that they were heading towards a rocky landscape. Then, darkness again. His heat vision was swallowed by the darkness.

He landed on the landscape, creating a small crater, letting Lobo fall to his side. Kal looked around and darkness still swarmed around them.

That was disconcerting.

He felt the ring on his finger and raised his fist, summoning bright constructs to light their surroundings.

"Finally! My eyes were beginning to become permanently fragged!" Lobo jumped to his feet, "Wow! This place is stacked!"

Kal had to agree with his friend. _This_ was the true headquarters of the once Sinestro Corps. Riches flooded through the room, weapons adorned the wall, and an enormous statue of Sinestro was erected in the center of the room. Kal wrapped golden constructs around the statue and _squeezed_. The statue toppled and the pieces became no more than tiny pebbles, "That's better," He muttered, still a little miffed over the vision Sinestro had tormented him with.

"Kal! Look at this!" Lobo shouted from another room, "I think this is the renowned Helmet of Fate! They got a geek being tortured over here!" Lobo laughed.

Kal's eyes widened when he heard 'Helmet of Fate.' He looked through the walls, locating Lobo and blurred over, appearing instantly. A man was chained, a yellow battery of some sort was attached to his body, brutally ripped through half of his chest. There were dozens of Lantern bodies scattered around him, with no physical wounds, "Is that a human?" He asked incredulously.

Lobo looked just as confused, "Of Earth? Yeah, I think so. What the frack is a human doing out here? They're primitive,"

"That is definitely the Helmet of Fate, so this is no ordinary human." Kal pointed out, "Look at the bodies of the Lanterns. There are no physical wounds,"

Lobo squinted and kicked one of the corpses, "Well, would ya look at that. How did they get fragged, then?"

"Think, my friend. Legends say that the Helmet of Fate only chooses those it deems worthy of its power. It seems this human has been chained here, tortured here, for a long time. The Helmet has kept him alive and has slain whoever has tried to remove the Helmet." Kal recalled the stories he had read, "This is the most powerful magical object in the universe. Legends say that Nabu, the mortal incarnate for Fate itself, created the Helmet out of his _own_ essence and acquired two other powerful mystical items."

Lobo was impressed with his knowledge, "I would never have suspected you to be smart, Kal."

"Knowledge is power; there is nothing else. You must have knowledge of your abilities and power, knowledge of others, knowledge of self, and knowledge of the past because those who forget their history often repeat it." Kal recited his father's teachings.

Lobo laughed, "I've never met someone as smart as you, so what are the two other items that Nabu possessed, oh knowledgeable one?"

Kal rolled his eyes, "The Amulet of Anubis, created by an ancient alien named Anubis who resided over Earth before the ones who call themselves gods destroyed him and his kin. The other was the Cloak of Destiny." He pointed to the other two mystical objects adorning the human.

"So, why is he trapped? If the Helmet is as powerful as you say it is, as legend says it is, couldn't this geek just break free? Couldn't he escape?" Lobo knelt down, staring at the Helmet.

Kal wondered the same. How could an imbecile like Sinestro keep a being as powerful as this human imprisoned? His eyes were drawn to the battery. It was the same color as his ring, he could feel a connection with the battery, the ring and battery were both made of fear. Kal stared at the man, speculating how Sinestro designed this prison. If what he believed was correct, what Sinestro had pulled off was simply brilliant, to say the least. The yellow battery's energy flowed into the human's body, conducting fear into whoever was captured. Forcing their mind to battle their darkest terrors for what seemed like an eternity. Sinestro had kept the human under control by using fear itself.

It was ingenious.

After describing his observation to Lobo, the Bounty Hunter whistled, "Wow! That's brilliant, fear kept this human, wielder of the most powerful mystical object in existence, under control. So, do we leave him here or do you want to put him out of his misery?" Lobo pulled out his weapon for emphasis.

Maybe, it was because of his encounter with Sinestro earlier, feeling the effects of what fear could cause, bringing sympathy. Maybe, it was because he loathed Sinestro and wanted to crash everything he has built, releasing his prized prisoner whom he had obviously enjoyed torturing. He didn't know why he felt the urge to help the man, "Let's take the battery out. I'm curious how he got captured in the first place." He lied and gripped the battery, easily yanking it out of the human's body. The chains dissipated, leaving the man as a boneless husk.

Lobo frowned, "Is he dead?" He flipped the man over with his foot.

Kal heard the man's pitiful heartbeat and scanned him with x-ray vision, "Not yet, but he will be soon. It looks like he's been here for years."

"Well, I'm tired of waiting," Lobo reached down for the Helmet. Kal tried to stop him but he was _not_ expecting Lobo to be so idiotic. Just as he knew would happen, Lobo was paralyzed with powerful energy, trying to kill him. His friend screamed pain and started cursing vehemently.

The human gasped and Kal knew he was conscious, "Hello… Sir, could you let go of my friend. You won't be able to kill him, he'll just heal." He tried diplomacy.

It worked.

The energy disappeared and Lobo dropped to the ground, hands gripping his knees. In a second, he rose to his feet, "That was intense! If I wasn't so confident in my regenerative capabilities, I would have been worried." He laughed, "That doesn't mean I'm not going to squish this geek here like a bug!" He tried to blitz the human but Kal effortlessly held his friend back.

"We have some questions, sir." He began, "How-"

"Kal-El of Krypton, Son of Darkseid." The human's voice was raspy, ancient. It was no longer the human in control, it was someone else; the Helmet stared at them.

Kal narrowed his eyes, "How do you know my name?" He demanded, eyes glowing furiously.

Lobo stopped struggling, curious about the answer.

"I know many things, Kal-El. I know that I have been trapped by that cretin, Sinestro for years. I know that he wished to use me to destroy the Green Lantern Corps and conquer the other Spectrum Corps, creating an army strong enough to rule the universe. I know that _you_ , Kal-El killed him and have subsequently freed me from my torment. I know of your heritage, the last of the mighty race from Krypton, the eradicators!"

"Wait, _eradicators_?" Lobo growled out, turning to Kal angrily.

"The Kryptonians were the most powerful race in the universe, any who dared challenge them were eradicated." The Helmet intoned.

Lobo looked livid, "YOU FRACKER!" He cried out and pulled out all his weapons, trying to kill Kal.

The Son of Darkseid was dumbfounded, "Wait, what just happened?" He asked incredulously, easily shrugging off Lobo's assault, "Why are you trying to kill me?"

"You killed my parents and sister!" Lobo roared, blood-colored eyes gleaming with memories. He jumped forward and punched Kal in the face with all his might.

 _Crack!_

"Aww! My beautiful hand! You son of a _bastich_!" Lobo cradled his healing hand.

"I didn't kill your parents or sister! I have _no_ idea what you're talking about!" Kal raised his arms in emphasis.

Lobo looked up at Kal and then the Helmet, "Is he lying?"

"No, Kal-El is speaking the truth. He was just a babe himself when your family was killed. Much like yourself, Lobo, Last Son of Czarnia."

Lobo struggled to calm down, "When I was a baby, I remember my older sister and parents were terrified for some reason. They raced into the room and gripped me tightly. Then, they hid me at the bottom of a lake; my healing wouldn't allow me to die. I was eventually able to swim up and I heard my sister scream, 'Why?' She had asked. Then a man's voice - one that I will never forget - said, 'Because you exist. We are the eradicators.' Then, silence." Lobo's eyes were glazed, reliving that day, "Once the soldiers were gone, I scurried over to where I heard the voices and my family was gone. Apparently, they were incinerated down by each individual atom."

Kal placed his hand on Lobo's shoulder, "I'm sorry, I know that doesn't mean much but I know how you feel. I'm the last of my kind too."

Lobo stared at him for several seconds, deciphering his honesty.

"Just be glad I went easy on ya! Otherwise, you would've been toast!" Apparently, that was Lobo's way of apologizing for attacking him and forgiving Kal all at once.

"Your journey has just begun, Kal-El." The Helmet interrupted.

Kal turned to the Helmet, "What are you talking about?"

"Fate has been woven and Destiny has spoken! You are the key, Kal-El!"

"Key to _what?_ "

"A new era. The demise of Darkseid. The demise of Evil!"

Kal blinked, " _What?"_ He roared, "That's _insane!_ I would never betray my father!"

"Then why have you made plans to overthrow him?"

He clenched his fists, "And _how_ , pray tell, do you know that?"

"Like I said previously, I know many things, Kal-El. Answer the question."

Kal grit his teeth, "It's expected of me to try and overthrow Darkseid! That's how it works! My father overthrew his father, Yuga Khan, and took his power, his _place_. My father _wants_ me to kill him and take his place! I would _never betray him_ by siding with his enemies!"

"Destiny and Fate has said otherwise, Kal-El."

Kal blurred over and gripped the pathetic human by the throat, " _No!_ I am the perfect son! I am _not ever_ going to betray Darkseid." His eyes glowed blood red.

"You can run across the cosmos tirelessly, Kal-El, but there is _no outrunning_ Fate and Destiny. It has already been decided. _Nothing_ can change it. It is useless to resist, Kal-El! You are special!"

"I am the Son of Darkseid and the Last Kryptonian! Of course, I am special!"

"No! The union of Destiny and Fate gave birth to Rao, the god of Krypton and the Supreme Leader of the High Throne of the Cosmos."

Kal eased his grip slightly, " _What?_ Rao is dead! What does he have to do with _anything?_ "

"Rao is the key! The Kryptonians killed him and fastened his skull into the Codex, bonding his essence within!"

"The Codex is gone!" He roared, remembering all the times Darkseid had questioned him about it, seeking its power, "It's _gone!_ It was destroyed when Krypton blew up."

"No, Kal-El. The Codex lives."

" _Wha- No!_ Stop lying!" Kal squeezed and felt the larynx of the pitiful human quiver.

" _You_ are the host of the Codex!"

He dimly noticed he released the human and the Helmet stared up at him from the floor. _Surely_ , he had misheard. Kal stared at his hands, looking upon the strands of his DNA and could see nothing abnormal but he had _nothing_ to base it on. He was the last of the Kryptonians. How could he know if he was different from his extinct kin?

"Now, you see. _You_ are the Codex, Kal-El! You are Rao incarnate! The child of Fate and Destiny has returned!"

"Stop!" Kal clenched his fists tightly and yanked the Helmet, the Amulet, and the Cloak off of the pitiful human, " _STOP!"_ He roared and killed the human, punching his fist through his brain.

Kal dropped the Amulet and the Cloak, focusing solely on the accursed Helmet. He dug his fingers into the metal and _squeezed_ with all his strength.

" _Kal-El! Stop!_ You _cannot_ change-"

The Son of Darkseid roared and tore the Helmet in half. He dropped the broken pieces and unleashed his heat vision in ways he had never before dared.

He dimly heard Lobo scream in pain but Kal didn't care; that Helmet _needed_ to be destroyed!

When Kal himself began to feel the _heat_ , he closed his eyes and the beams of energy dissipated. The Helmet was gone and Lobo was lying on the floor, body beginning to grow back from the puddle of goo.

He suddenly felt mentally exhausted and sat down, feeling the Amulet and Cloak behind him. Kal pondered everything _that Helmet_ had said. Was any of it true? Was he going to betray his father? Was everything already written? Was he fighting against the inevitable? Was _he_ Rao?

Lobo groaned and rolled over, glaring at him, "I honestly thought I was going to die!" He weakly crawled over and sat next to Kal, "Remind me to _never_ get on your bad side. That was _intense!_ "

"Sorry," Kal muttered and tossed him the Cloak, "Keep that, I don't need it."

"Awesome, thanks, man! Never mind! Totally worth it!" The Cloak, of its own accord, wrapped itself around Lobo's neck.

The Son of Darkseid grabbed the Amulet and floated over to a table, taking off the Yellow Lantern Ring, placing it on the table by several Lantern Batteries solemnly; Amulet laid next to them.

"What are _you doing?_ "

Kal sighed, "I am leaving the ring and Amulet here."

"Are you insane? You're just going to let these _priceless_ weapons collect dust?" Lobo cried out, gesturing to the room filled with weapons.

"No, this will be my secret stash." Kal gestured to the room, "This is a great hideout. Whenever I need the use of them, I will simply come here and get them."

"How are you going to come _here_? I know you can fly _really_ fast, but you would need to always fly from wherever you're at to Korugar." Lobo pointed out.

Kal frowned. Lobo was correct, he couldn't afford to always make such a trip. He closed his eyes and focused on the Ring and the Amulet. He _was_ the owner and they _will_ obey his commands. The items disappeared for less than a millisecond and appeared on Kal's person, Amulet around his neck and Ring on his finger.

Lobo chuckled, "That works, will I need to leave my Cloak here?"

Kal closed his eyes and the Amulet and Ring just as swiftly appeared back on the table, "Yes, when you come with us to Apokolips, my father will kill you if he sees you as a threat. With the Cloak, he would."

Lobo begrudgingly took off the Cloak and placed it on the table beside the ring, "Speaking of 'us,' how do you think you're… _concubines_ will take all this?"

Kal glared at Lobo, "I will decide what we tell them, understand? They are all still very loyal to my father. I am… _hesitant_ to share what the _Helmet_ said. I am my father's son after all.

"Do you think they'll be jealous that you gave me the Cloak?"

Yes.

Kal pinched his nose, "I'll need to scourge the universe for powerful weapons and gift them to the Furies."

Lobo glanced at the weapons on the wall, "Will any of _those_ do the trick?"

Kal shook his head, not even looking at the weapons, "No, those weapons are for amateurs. I need something that is high-class, something superior, something _powerful_."

"Well, maybe you'll find something soon." Lobo shrugged and walked back to the crater from where they landed, "You finished, oh knowledgeable one?"

His weapons on the table told him not to, but he knew that wasn't an option. The Furies were probably suspicious as it was, "Yeah, let's go."

XxXxXxXxXxX

The three Furies were waiting for them outside of the teleportation pad, "Did it really take that long?" Grail asked with a brow raised.

Kal smiled, "No, we weren't able to find anything so we sparred."

Lobo smirked, "I kicked your brother's hide."

"He tried to, but failed."

Barda wrapped her arm around Kal's waist, "Like there was any other outcome."

Lashina rolled her dark eyes, "Let's go. We've already prepped the War World for travel."

Kal and Lobo, with his bike, stepped into the pad, the Furies following from the rear. Then, they were in the War World.

Lobo whistled, "Mongul might have been a sick fracker, but he definitely had class."

Kal laughed and sat Mongul's head lovingly on the table to his right. He _loved_ the terror etched permanently into that cretin's face.

He looked at his sister, "You got everything?"

She nodded, tapping the Mother Box attached to her hip. It was relieving that his sister hadn't lost it, or that it hadn't been destroyed in the fighting previously. While that Mother Box was weak, nothing compared to the enhanced Mother Boxes that his father had spoken of, they were incredibly rare. From what Darkseid had shared, only a dozen of them existed and not even half belonged to his father. The three main ones, the ones that housed the essence of his grandfather, Yuga Khan, were lost on the planet, Earth, a thousand years ago because of his cousin, Steppenwolf's terrible failure. After Kal's father had killed Yuga Khan, he hadn't been able to absorb his energy as he had done with Kal's uncle, Uxas, so instead, his father had fastened Yuga Khan's energy into three Mother Boxes, increasing their power exponentially.

During the split between Uncle Izaya and his father after Darkseid had killed his other uncle, Uxas, his grandmother, Heggra had sided with Izaya. Eventually, when she died, from what Kal had gathered, his uncle had done what his father had done: fastening the energy of their fallen parent into three Mother Boxes. Those other three Mother Boxes of supreme power were owned by Izaya and New Genesis; they were untouchable! Kal had sworn that his uncle would rue the day when he betrayed his father and he couldn't wait until he eradicated New Genesis in the name of his father. It would be glorious and he would return those stolen Mother Boxes to his father.

Kal sat in the huge chair and the floor glowed orange, lines swirling until meeting at the base of the chair. He felt a psychic link form between himself and the ship.

Lobo raised an eyebrow, "That's pretty impressive."

Kal agreed and looked out at the planet before him. Korugar looked better; the Sinestro Corps were gone and the people of the planet could finally rebuild.

He felt pride that he was the reason for that. He still knew the inhabitants of Korugar were weak, but maybe now that Sinestro and his lackeys were gone, they can learn to become strong.

The Son of Darkseid closed his eyes and took control of the War World.

They were going home.

XxXxXxXxXxX

 **What do you think? Grail is Darkseid's daughter in the New52. I always found the concept of her interesting, so I added her to the story.**

 ****Kal will be OP. (To be fair, most of the characters will be as well. DC has always raised its characters to the pinnacle of power. They are practically gods in their own right. I mean, the stuff that Batman can do is physically and mentally impossible. He cannot have mastered all of the martial art forms in the world, survive the stuff he has or outsmart a Kryptonian - someone who can think of thousands of ideas before one of Batman's neurons even fires into his synaptic gap.) He is raised by Darkseid. He will not hold back and will be an excellent fighter because he was raised in a hellish environment under Darkseid himself. He knows that he is a Kryptonian and is not at all afraid to spill anyone's blood. He seeks to expand his power so that's why I added the Yellow Lantern Ring and the Amulet of Anubis; he will rarely use them unless he really needs to.**

 ****Yes, the Mother Boxes are different; half are the same as what they are in Canon, such as the one that Grail is in possession of. The other half each contain part of the essence of Darkseid and Izaya's dead parents, Yuga Khan and Heggra. The idea was taken from what Zack Snyder had, reportedly, originally intended in the** _ **Justice League**_ **film. I think that it was really interesting and makes Steppenwolf's actions clearer, so I added it into this story because I liked it.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed it. Leave a review and tell me what you think! Happy New Years!**

 _ **Stay Safe**_  
 **ButtonPusher**


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate it when you guys reviews - it makes my day seeing a new one!**

 **I'm so** _ **terribly**_ **sorry for the wait. I had a major bout of writer's block for this one, and I was kind of more focused on my other stories. I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Justice League or any of the characters associated with DC Comics.**

XxXxXxXxXxX

A huge being was led in chains down an abandoned tunnel except for the dozen men and women guarding him. These guards had intricate metal armor woven beautifully across their bodies and magnificent, majestic wings extended out of their backs.

The prisoner soon came to a wall and one of the guards stepped forward, raising his mask, "Found this… _guy_ committing a massacre in the slums. Lock him up!" He tapped the wall and a panel appeared. He typed in a code and the wall moved to the side, grating against the metal.

The guards shoved their prisoner into the room. The prisoner stood to his full height, towering over everyone in the room. A wall of energy surrounded him and the floor beneath him moved to the side.

"Go down, filth." One of the guards hissed. The prisoner shrugged and descended into darkness.

He was met with harsh lights and other beings jeering at him. The room was completely white, almost sparkling. The most important observation: no cameras or monitoring devices.

After several moments of scouring his new 'home', the prisoner calmly stepped into the corner of the room. A man with a shadow of a beard was slouched against the wall, weakness wafting off his form. The prisoner sat down next to him heavily, "What'd ya do, fella?"

The slouched man grunted, "Same as you I imagine,"

The prisoner tested his chains, pulling each arm in the opposite way. He breathed deeply, "These are some strong chains - bloody _bastiches!_ …So, what's your name, stranger?" The slouched man didn't answer and the prisoner sighed, "Figures… well, my name's Lobo." The effect was instant. The entire room became silent, all eyes staring at the two beings in the corner.

A man with fiery, red hair stood up. His skin was light blue and his eyes were murderous, "Lobo," he sneered, "you have quite the… _reputation_ in here. We all hate you. We _all_ want to kill you. Do you covet death _that_ much, Bounty Hunter?"

Lobo chuckled, "Nah! Nothing kills me! It's amusing to see people try, though. What's your name, buddy?" He tilted his head to the side, a frown tugging his mouth, "You seem… familiar,"

The man with blue skin growled, "You slept with my wife, you _bastich!"_ He roared.

Lobo squinted and after several seconds, laughed boisterously, "I remember! She was a cute one - feisty, too." He grinned lasciviously, "What was her name, again, murder eyes? I'll need to visit her once I'm out of this joint to have another _memorable_ night." The blue-skinned man abruptly charged forward with a screech of fury, fist slamming into Lobo's chuckling face. Lobo's head snapped to the side and he smirked down at the slouched man, "Now, no one can blame me for the… RIOT!" He roared and kicked his attacker into the crowd.

Everyone charged and Lobo countered, blocked, and defended himself. It was very hard to do with seemingly unbreakable chains around his arms and legs, but he managed; his healing factor also gave him an edge over everybody attacking him.

The slouched, bearded man didn't move, eyes stared uselessly at the floor. His head was tilted to the side. One of the prisoners noticed and attempted to attack him, but the second his foot made contact with the slouched man's face, it shattered.

The prisoner screamed in pain, holding his foot in a pathetic hope to fix it. Guards then flooded through the room like a plague, electric-charged maces in hand, "STAND DOWN!" They all boomed in unison.

All of the numerous prisoners stilled for only a second, fear carved into their faces, and the slouched man raised his gaze. Glowing, divine, red eyes stared at the guards, freezing them in place. He slowly stood up, eyes all riveted on him, and he moved his arms to the side, the sound of chains shattering echoing. He then flexed his legs and those chains shattered as well. He took a single step forward and the prisoners all parted, except Lobo. The Bounty Hunter aligned himself with the former slouched man, stepping in sync. They were the same height, taller than everyone in the room. The former slouched man then pulled on Lobo's chains and they too fell off, tumbling to the white floor with a deafening _clang_.

The foremost guard attempted diplomacy, "Stop! If you move any closer, you _will_ die!"

The former slouched man laughed loudly, the sound echoing throughout the room, "No," he said simply, walking closer, "it is _you_ who will die!" He blurred forward and punched his fist into the guard's face.

His fist easily smashed through the guard's head and blood splattered against the other guards and turning the once pristine white walls _red_.

Shock permeated the room.

The prisoners roared in approval and then charged, the death of one of their torturers spurring them onward with strength. The guards all panicked and swung their maces at the man who had just killed their comrade, but it was useless. Before anyone could blink, all the guards were dead, gaping holes through their heads, expressions petrified, blood _dripping_ from the former slouched man's hands.

The prisoners stared at the former slouched man and backed away. The man then, ignoring everyone else, calmly crouched over the slain guards. Lobo followed the man's example. Wings were torn out of the slain guards' back and armor was stolen from corpses. The former slouched man and Lobo pulled the armor on and the Bounty Hunter activated the mask, covering his face - he was now a guard. The former slouched man picked up two maces and tossed one to Lobo.

The torn-out wings were laying on the floor. Lobo picked one set up and gave it to the former slouched man. The man looked at the metal wings and it glowed red, unbearable heat coating the entire room. He swiftly pressed the wings into Lobo's back, welding them into the armor.

Lobo grunted, "Oohhh! That stings," the Bounty Hunter held up the other set and placed them against the former slouched man's back. The man looked at his hand and it too glowed red. He wrapped his hand around his back, welding the wings into his own armor.

The prisoners stared at the spectacle in fearful awe. The former slouched man looked at the desecrated guards and beams of energy surged out of his eyes, incinerating the evidence. He looked back at the prisoners, "One of you smash your head against that wall." He said simply, pointing towards the wall with the blood stain.

The prisoners all backed away, swallowing in fear. Lobo looked at the blue-skinned man, "That means you, murder eyes." The blue-skinned man gazed with wide eyes at the former slouched man.

For several seconds nothing happened, then the former slouched man's eyes glowed brilliantly. The blue-skinned man immediately yelped and threw himself into the blood-stained wall with abandon.

Lobo grinned, "You'll keep all _this_ a secret, right, fellas?" Alluding to the fact that they had killed the guards and stolen their armor.

All the prisoners nodded numbly. The former slouched man tapped a series of rhythms against the wall. A section of the wall moved, and the two masquerading guards stepped through.

XxXxXxXxXxX

A dark corridor greeted them and the sound of footsteps thumping echoed as they journeyed through the hall.

Lobo smirked, "Nicely done, Kal." He slung his arm around his friend's shoulder.

Kal nodded, "Subtly was key," he arched his head, looking in every direction.

"Did you find them?"

"The Nth metal is interfering with my vision." Kal growled, "We'll need to go to the Control Center."

"I heard the guards talking about it. It's pretty high tech, even for us."

"They've never met _us_."

Lobo laughed, "This will be fun."

Kal smirked slightly, "Yes, it will be." He suddenly gripped Lobo's shoulder, "Four guards are approaching." He whispered.

"Kill them?"

Kal shook his head and gestured for his friend to shut up. Four guards stepped into the corridor and their faces registered surprise, "Is it the shift change already?" The one on the right asked.

"Yes, we were just coming to let you know. The others are back in the cell, waiting for you guys." Kal lied easily.

The guards accepted his reasoning and walked passed them.

"Come on," Kal hissed, "We're close." Lobo obeyed and the two came upon a door with intricate symbols, "Would you like to do the honors?'" He asked.

Lobo beamed, "Absolutely!" He dramatically cried, rubbing his hands together greedily.

Kal chuckled quietly and watched as Lobo abruptly kicked the door down, cursing in pain as several bones in his foot broke, but, nonetheless, he pulled out the mace and hurled it at an approaching guard with a satisfying crunch. Several more quickly appeared and Kal picked up his friend, throwing Lobo at the guards. His friend slammed into them and quietly snapped their necks. The son of Darkseid blurred through the room, killing everyone else. He stopped at a computer and Lobo sat in the chair next to him.

"Do ya think they would have it in the logs?"

Kal shook his head, "No, the Furies would be off the books. I would rather just destroy this entire facility, and go on a rampage, but father tasked me with infiltration. They would be contained, away from everyone, and would be watched constantly."

"So, it's underground."

"We're already underground."

"No, _further_ underground. Think about it, Kal. Grail, Barda, and Lashina are _highly_ dangerous prisoners - I'm still in disbelief that they even _got_ caught - and very powerful. The best way for the Thanagarians to contain them would be _deep_ into the planet."

"Well said,"

"Thanks. You know, something just occurred to me: was Grail's mom powerful?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Myrina? No, she was not. She was a witch who tried to steal Grail as a child. I- well, Kross killed her, beating me to it."

Lobo grinned, "If she hadn't been foolish, she would have been your new mom."

"I guess that I would have been a true son of a bitch, then."

"Now that was well said," his friend laughed boisterously.

Kal nodded in agreement, "Let me pull up the schematics for the prison." He narrowed his eyes and scanned the processing of the computer, "There," he pointed at a blip on the screen, "Why would the Thanagarians leave that _entire_ section empty? Every other section is detailed but _that one_ isn't. That _has_ to be where they're holding Grail and the others."

Lobo squinted at the screen, "All right, how are we going to play this? They're bound to have intense countermeasures to keep the Furies from escaping."

Kal scoffed, "None of those will affect _me_. You'll be fine - you heal quick."

"Anyway, if we infiltrate this _unsanctioned_ part of the prison, it will be a lot harder to be subtle."

"I'll kill any who oppose me."

Lobo blinked and chuckled, "Sounds fun!" He stretched and stood up, "I bet you that I'll kill more guards than you." He challenged.

Kal slowly turned to his friend, face stretched into a grin, "What's the prize?"

Lobo smirked, "The loser has to clean and organize the _stash_."

"Really? Are you _sure_ you want to do this? We both know how bad the _stash_ gets." Kal asked, eyebrows raised.

Lobo laughed, "Frack yeah! I'm ready to bust some skulls. It's been so boring."

Kal looked at the computer one last time, "You're on!" He memorized the layout and followed Lobo out of the room, ignoring the dead bodies. Making sure that nobody had seen them exit, he welded the door back in place using his heat vision.

They then walked for several minutes, dark corridors their lone companion, "You're right - this is boring." Kal muttered.

Lobo beamed, "I'm _always_ right, my friend. When will you learn?"

Kal rolled his eyes and stopped abruptly when he heard heartbeats below them, "We're close!" He hissed and looked around the corridor, searching for a clue to deposit them near the Furies. Lobo gripped the mace tightly, electricity arcing off the weapon.

Kal closed his eyes and time itself froze. He thought back to the schematics of the prison. From the path that he and Lobo had taken, they _should_ be right over the unsanctioned part of the prison. What was he missing? Where was it? Where's the connection? Kal allowed his mental faculties to slow down and pinched his nose. What should _he_ do?

Darkseid had constantly ingrained the lesson of patience into his mind, always cementing the practice. _'He who masters patience, Kal-El, master's everything.'_ he would always declare. It brought back memories when he was a child and had had to travel between his father's fortress and the training arena. The separate buildings were…

Kal's eyes snapped open in realization. He turned to Lobo, "What if it's two _separate_ buildings? I can hear the heartbeats below us but there is _no_ way from _here_ to get _there_!"

Lobo glanced at the floor, "That makes a lot of sense; if we want to get this done right, you'll need your Amulet."

Kal shook his head, "No, it feels like cheating if I use the Amulet." He was thankful he had it, but he wanted to do the mission on his own.

Lobo shrugged, "Well, we're still stuck here. So, how are we going to get to the other building?"

Kal crouched down and gripped the metal floor, fingers easily crushing the metal. He yanked a part of the floor and made a hole big enough to fit the two of them. He blew hard and winds carried away the soil in the hole. He hopped in and Lobo followed.

"I like it!" Logo rubbed his hands together.

Kal placed the broken metal back from where he had destroyed the floor. Once satisfied with its placement, he shot a small blast of heat vision, welding the floor back together.

"What now?" The Bounty Hunter asked, leaning against the soil with a cigar in his mouth, smoke puffing out from his question.

Kal frowned and spun around, digging a hole until he reached more metal and unleashed his heat vision until a small part of the wall was melted. He climbed through, "Come on!" He hissed up to Lobo. He watched his friend through the wall jump down the hole, sliding down with a dopey expression on his face, and narrowly avoid being plastered to the metal wall.

"That was fun!" Lobo stood up next to Kal. They were in a dark corner of a hallway. Lobo began walking forward and Kal followed. After several minutes, Kal began to think he had miscalculated. Were they in the wrong building? Where was Grail? Where was Barda? Where was Lashina? Lobo suddenly stopped and Kal saw why.

Hundreds of Thanagarian soldiers stalked the building, searching for an excuse to fight.

Kal smirked at Lobo, "Loser cleans the _stash_?"

Lobo grinned, "Have fun cleaning it then, loser!" He jumped over the balcony and landed silently behind a guard, snapping their neck soundlessly and pulling the corpse into a corner. The Thanagarian soldier now had a peaceful resting place.

The Son of Darkseid smiled. Finally, he would be able to let loose. He levitated off the ground and flew forward, becoming a blur. He killed dozens of guards before they could blink, and an then a blaring alarm suddenly sounded.

So much for subtlety.

Kal smashed through a wall and landed on top of a guard, killing him easily. Almost a hundred guards surrounded him and Kal decided to actually combat these fools. A guard rushed forward, raising his mace in anger over the death of his comrade. Kal batted the man's arm away and smashed his stolen mace into the guard's head. He fell to the ground, sightless eyes staring at his killer.

The other guards were more cautious, half of them rose into the air and the others stayed on the ground, maces electrically sparking. Kal waited for them to blitz him and was rewarded when four almost immediately rushed forward, one from the air and three from the ground. He blocked a mace with _his_ mace and ducked beneath the guard's outstretched arm, sliding his mace into the guard's face with a delightful crunch. He suddenly kicked his leg outward, catching a guard in the throat, crushing his larynx, a fatal blow. He kicked the guard into the other approaching guard and moved to the side as the guard from the air attempted to cleave his head from his shoulders. He smashed his mace into the flying guard's leg and the sudden pain made him fall from the air and onto the ground. Kal jumped forward and landed on the guard's head, killing him.

All the other guards charged forward with a yell of hatred. Kal spun around and caught the mace headed towards his head, the sizzling electricity not affecting him at all. He tore the mace from the guard's hand and smashed his skull inward. He now had two maces and he countered every attack, slaying all the remaining guards quickly.

The final Thanagarian laid dying in a puddle of sticky, _red_ blood, "Have _mercy!_ I beg you! Mercy! Please, _please_ have mercy!" He cried out in despair, sounding broken.

"There is _no_ mercy." Kal rushed forward and ripped the man's wings out of his back, blood spraying into his face. The Thanagarian let loose an agonizing scream and whimpered pathetically.

His prey coughed up blood, death imminently approaching. "Why would you, _how could you_ do this? …What did we do to you? We are innocent."

Kal laughed darkly, amused at the guard's audacity, but answered. "You hold _them_ as prisoners and that is _something_ unforgivable."

"Please, spare me! I had no idea!" The Thanagarian hacked up more blood, staining his lips dark red. "I'm innocent, _please,_ I beseech you! Don't be an evil madman!"

"When you crush an ant beneath your foot, do you feel remorse?" Kal said quietly, threateningly, eyes glowing with _death_. "No. Now, is this because you are inherently evil, or because you recognize yourself as a _higher form of life?_ This is what you _lesser life forms_ don't understand." He shook his head in disgust, eyes locked onto the Thanagarian's glazed, petrified ones. "If the universe itself thinks that I am a god, unanswerable to anyone save my father, does that _not mean_ _I am a god myself!_ " He didn't give the guard time to answer as he raised his boot, and with a smile on his face, eyes glowing red, he slammed his foot through the Thanagarian's head, crushing the _ant._

Kal looked at his work, blood littered his stolen armor and stained the two maces. Bodies were mutilated throughout the room and Kal shook his head. There was _no_ way Lobo was going to beat him.

He exited through the smashed wall and saw Lobo stabbed through the midsection, mace hanging from his intestines. Lobo quickly pulled the mace out and used it to kill the guard. He looked up and saw Kal, "What number are you at?"

"More than you."

"No way, the Main Man has killed 86 of these losers."

Kal smiled, "140."

Lobo frowned, "Show-off," He muttered, "How many more are there?"

Kal listened, "About another hundred or so."

Lobo nodded, "Be ready to clean the _stash_." He roared and cleared a path for Kal. The two of them followed the corridor until an enormous door made of pure Nth metal greeted them. Kal heard Grail's heartbeat and smiled. He slammed his fist into the door and only a small dent appeared.

Lobo whistled, "Holy frack! I think I can see why your sister and the others were caught." Kal agreed, this was the toughest metal he'd ever encountered besides Kryptonian or his cousin Steppenwolf's Axe. He placed his hand on the door and used his other fist to smash the metal. More dents appeared but none pierced the metal. Kal's eyes glowed red in anger over this _failure_. His rage strengthened him and when his fist hit the metal, the door exploded off the wall, flying into a wall opposite of them.

The hundreds of guards rushed them, and Kal gripped Lobo and hurled him into the charging Thanagarians. Lobo crashed into their forms and started smashing as many as he could with his mace. Kal let guards rush him and he effortlessly countered all of their attacks, killing them quickly.

Lobo stood up, corpses around him, "133," He sulked.

Kal chuckled, "226," He walked forward, "Grail, Barda, and Lashina are behind that door." He pointed to another enormous Nth metal door.

Lobo stepped alongside Kal, "I'll get ya next time."

"I don't doubt it." Kal clenched his fists and punched the door, anger strengthening him. The metal crumpled, and he punched again, door exploding off the wall. They both stepped into the room.

"Finally!" Grail and the others stood up from where they were slouched against a wall, "We thought you would never show up!" She walked up to Kal in annoyance.

"Hey!" Lobo cried out, "It wasn't _us_ who got caught! It took us a while to infiltrate the prison. I had to kill a bunch of rapists in a bar in the slums of the city. Kal had to…" Lobo turned to his friend, "Actually what _did_ you do? You never told me."

Grail raised an eyebrow, "You tried to rob a bank, didn't you?"

Kal shrugged in admittance, "It's fun. Plus, I got some credits."

Lobo laughed loudly, "Anyway, don't show _any_ thankfulness to us, _your_ saviors!" He cried out dramatically.

" _Thank you_ , Lobo, for rescuing us. What would we have done without you?" Lashina intoned.

Lobo beamed, "No problem, Lashina. It was fun! I killed 133 guards in this building."

Grail chuckled, "Nicely done, Lobo. Now, can we get out of here? I never want to see Nth Metal again."

Kal nodded, "Yeah, come on. Just to warn you, I'm keeping these maces I acquired as trophies, same with the wings and armor. It's strong material, could be useful in the future."

"So resourceful," Barda teased.

The five aliens exited the building, Kal melted a hole in the metal and spun himself around, tearing through the soil, creating a path to the surface.

Kal rubbed his beard. He was 30 years old, powerful beyond reckoning. Was feared by all who met him and had the famed Bounty Hunter, Lobo as his best friend. He had three gorgeous, fierce, and powerful women who loved him deeply and desired to bear his children, but he was wanting _more_. He had begun planning how to kill his father, overthrow him as was expected of him. In several decades, no longer than a century, it would be ready; Darkseid would be dead and Kal would take his place, his power, ascending to a god. Now, he had to be patient, play the long game, and be the perfect son. He ignored the whispers that always crept into his mind; he was Rao incarnate, he was already a god. The Helmet still haunted his thoughts.

Darkseid had tasked his cousin, Steppenwolf with the retrieval of the Mother Boxes on Earth while Kal rescued the Furies. He expected the task to be simple, even something his brother probably could have done if Kalibak wasn't dead, killed by Kal years ago on his father's orders. It did severely pain him to kill his brother, but he didn't regret it. Kalibak was weak and Kal was not. His father had voiced his approval and Kal kept his brother's Beta Club as a trophy of remembrance; despite their differences, Kal had cared for Kalibak deeply. It was the same with Scott Free, his cousin. Darkseid had ordered his death and Kal had murdered his cousin with only a second's hesitation. He did not care for his other brother! He couldn't wait to kill Orion. The traitor! Joining their uncle over their father was the biggest mistake his brother would ever make, because of that mistake he _will_ die.

"How did you guys even get caught? Must be quite a tale." Lobo asked. Kal listened closely.

Grail sighed angrily, "Father had tasked all of us with spying on mine and Kal's uncle, Izaya. Otherwise known as _Highfather_. Our traitorous brother, Orion and several others discovered us, and they had a Mother Box!" _That_ caught Kal's attention, "They caught us by surprise and opened a boom tube, thrusting all of us and themselves through the portal. We crash landed on Thanagar, creating _quite_ the commotion. We all fought and _they_ won. Orion clearly has the blood of Darkseid running in his body. He was powerful," she growled out, clenching her fists. "When authorities were closing in, they opened another boom tube and left. We all tried to fight the Thanagarians but were too tired and injured. After killing dozens, we were captured and forced unconscious from their maces. We woke up in that cage."

Kal knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was going to _watch_ his brother die, light leaving his eyes like evaporated water.

"Well, at least we got some good practice in." Lobo slung his arm around Kal, smoking his cigar, "We're pretty fucking good with this stealth thing."

Kal chuckled, "Yeah, we are. It was quite amusing."

They traveled to a remote location and Lobo whistled loudly. His bike appeared several seconds later and he turned to Kal, "That was fun. We should do it again sometime." He grinned, "Call me if you need _anything_. You know how to find me." He stepped closer and the two friends hugged, "See ya around, Kal." Lobo hopped onto his bike.

"Go catch a bounty for me, would you?" Kal countered.

Lobo laughed, "For you, a thousand times over!" The bike roared to life, fire shooting out of the sides, "Catch you on the flip side, big cheese!" He bolted off, cackling all the way into space.

Kal shook his head, "I love that guy." He laughed.

Grail raised a brow, "It's obvious."

"So, what now?" Lashina asked dryly, "I know we need to return to Apokolips but I also know that Sire is _angry_ at our failure."

"If we failed, we need to own up to it." Grail shrugged, "We failed; we were discovered and subsequently beaten. Kal had to be pulled away from his assignment and had to come to rescue us. As far as I'm concerned, Father does need to punish us."

Barda frowned, "That is true, but Sire's punishments are memorable."

Kal raised a brow, "Stop delaying the inevitable; we all know you will be punished, you failed in your mission and failure is _unacceptable."_

"Let's go," Grail said and the rest followed.

Kal wondered what punishment the Furies would receive; having to fight him in the arena was his personal favorite.

Before he left, Darkseid had warned Kal that if Steppenwolf _somehow_ failed in his invasion of the planet, Earth, then Kal would kill him.

It was not a thought that he relished.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Drifting through space allowed much time to think; memories often clouded one's mind and past regrets were at the forefront of those memories. Kal found that _accursed_ Helmet plaguing his thoughts for the past several years _frequently._

Was it true? Was he to betray his father by siding with an enemy? Was the Codex inside him? Was _he_ Rao?

He had never shared the _foretold conclusion_ with the Furies; he knew they would listen and desperately endeavor to ease his mind from those ridiculous notions but he _needed_ to think about, needed to dwell on it.

He had also begun to wonder if there were more Kryptonians that survived the supernova besides himself. Lobo had shared how his family was slaughtered and _nobody_ would dare call themselves the 'Eradicators' for fear of being found out.

"What's bothering you?" Grail asked, aligning herself next to him, bodies pressed enticingly together. Kal could feel her curves squeeze against his hard muscles.

"Nothing," he lied easily, smiling down at her. "I'm just curious if Steppenwolf succeeded."

She snorted, "Undoubtedly. Earth is a primitive planet. He should have had no trouble securing the three Mother Boxes that house our grandfather's essence."

"He lost them millennia ago because those old gods interfered." He reminded his sister, "Enough ants can overwhelm the spider."

"Father is almost certain that those old gods all died off. There has been no sign that any of them still reign over the planet. Steppenwolf _will_ secure the Mother Boxes and Earth will fall, like all the others."

Kal nodded, "The only one remaining is _New Genesis_." He snarled. His fists clenched just thinking about those _scum!_ His uncle was a fool and the rest of his father's race was as well.

"New Genesis will fall." Grail's full lips curled into a smirk, "It has been foretold, Kal. _You_ will destroy all of those _traitors_ and father will absorb their power. After he has their power, then he will finally be able to absorb grandfather's from the three Mother Boxes he fastened them to; he should also be able to absorb grandmother's."

He knew that was what his father was going to do but he wondered if he himself could absorb the power. Darkseid had killed his brother, Uxas, and absorbed his power. He had tried to do it with Kal's grandfather, Yuga Khan, but had failed. Could Kal succeed where his father had failed? After all, he was a pure-blooded Kryptonian who absorbed stellar energy as easy as breathing; he wondered.

"The Spectrum Corps might become a hindrance," She hummed against his neck, "They are _so_ arrogant. The Shazam wizards are also a cause for concern; they are quite powerful whether any of us would like to admit it."

Kal snorted, "Not as powerful as me or father."

Grail nodded and rubbed his arm, "Come, Barda and Lashina are awaiting us."

Kal smiled and followed Grail into the bedroom. There he found Barda and Lashina already bare on the grand bed. Grail quickly joined them and Kal felt his eyes glow demonic red.

The three most beautiful women he had ever met loved him, and Kal knew that _nobody_ was going to sleep until they had arrived on Apokolips.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Kal entered his father's throne room and kneeled before the ruler of Apokolips' imposing silhouette. The shadows hid Darkseid's face but Kal could _feel_ his father's rage; the burning hellfire attested to that.

"I have returned, father. I infiltrated the Thanagarian prison and rescued the Furies." He said and waited for his father to respond.

"Yet again, you defy any and all expectations I have placed before you, Kal-El. You _truly_ are my son." The pride in his father's voice made Kal smile slightly.

"It is only through your guidance that I have been able to ascend to perfection, father."

Darkseid didn't say anything and Kal patiently waited; his father was quite dramatic if one paid close enough attention.

"Steppenwolf failed in his mission."

Kal froze; _surely_ he had misheard but he knew he hadn't. He kept his head bowed, "I see," he said slowly, "was he killed?"

"No," Darkseid growled and Kal heard his father's fists clench, "that _disappointment_ was defeated by a bunch of inconsequential ants - specifically, one who had the blood of the old gods running in her veins - _and_ he failed to secure the Mother Boxes. As a result, they are lost to us once more because of his weakness."

"How would you like me to dispose of this _traitor,_ father? Openly, in the Arena or perhaps-"

Darkseid suddenly rose from his throne and Kal went stiff; had he insulted his father? Did he _not_ want Steppenwolf to be killed?

His father stepped closer and Kal kept his head bowed.

"Rise, my son."

Kal stood up and stared into his father's burning eyes; the Omega Beams stared back at him.

"Steppenwolf is already in the Arena; I have called _everyone_ to witness his execution and _I_ will observe the fight from the balcony. You know what needs to be done, Kal-El. Go forth and execute that _traitor._ Bask in the greatness of everyone knowing your power, my son. Show them the power of the son of Darkseid."

A small smile ghosted over his lips, "Of course, father. The _traitor_ will _die_."

"Go," a small smirk graced his father's malevolent features.

Kal bowed his head and left the throne room. He entered his quarters and saw Kross asleep near the firepit.

How could Steppenwolf have failed? It didn't make sense; his cousin was the son of Uxas. He was _very_ powerful and often forced Kal to actually use effort when sparring against each other. Did the old gods interfere? _That_ must be it! Darkseid had reported that Steppenwolf was mainly defeated by one who had the blood of the old gods.

After he killed his cousin, he would journey to Earth and eradicate the old gods and any who claim allegiance to them, avenging his cousin!

" _Was the mission a success?"_ Kross' voice echoed in his mind and Kal looked at his animal companion.

"Yeah, it was," he said aloud, "but Steppenwolf failed in his."

" _And now, you have to kill him,"_ Kross concluded.

"Yeah, I do." He said softly, fists clenched. He would follow his father's orders and kill his cousin, but he wasn't looking forward to it.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Kal entered the Arena and he winced; screams assaulted his ears as the inhabitants of the planet wanted to see their lord's son execute the General of Apokolips. He bypassed cages of lowlies and saw Granny standing by the door.

"Hello, my boy." She cooed and Kal nodded in greeting, not in the mood for inconsequential pleasantries.

Granny understood and opened the gate; metal screeched against metal and Kal focused on it, drowning out the screams of those in the stands.

He stepped forward, crushing the obsidian rock with his feet as he entered the Arena. Large spikes erupted from the ground and the smell of blood was prominent. There was a pulse in the air; evil and ancient power stirred, awaiting the execution of Steppenwolf. The Arena was made out of Apokoliptian metal, stone, and the bones of lowlies.

The Arena stretched upward for miles and was dozens of sections in diameter. Various torches lined the walls, all burning with hellfire. Thousands of intricate arches and columns intertwined throughout the Arena; within each of the arches, the carcasses of the fallen were displayed proudly for all to view.

Kal entered the metal gate and waited for the signal.

"My fellow citizens!" He heard DeSaad boom from the balcony and the crowd roared in approval, "Today, in the Arena of Apokolips, we will witness the execution of the traitor, Steppenwolf. He failed in his mission and what is failure?"

"UNACCEPTABLE!" The crowd screamed, voices synchronized together.

"Yes! Now, our great and glorious leader, Darkseid, has tasked his son, your prince, to slay the traitor! I present to you Kal-El, the son of Darkseid!" The gate lifted and Kal stepped into the domain of combat.

The citizens were roaring in awe as he entered and jeering at the traitor. Kal stepped to the side and removed his shirt and pants as was procedure; he was left in black shorts.

Kal always loved fighting in the Arena; the stands were a mile from the ground, gifting citizens with a good vantage point and allowing Kal to have fun. Dozens of pits, trenches, rocks, and moats littered the field.

The gate across from him opened and Kal watched as his cousin stepped forward; the crowd was deafening in their screams of hatred towards Steppenwolf.

His cousin presented a powerful picture; intricate, spiked armor adorned his body and only the slits of his white, cold eyes and snarling mouth, numerous sharp teeth protruding from his cousin's thin lips, were observable. Standing several meters tall, Steppenwolf towered over Kal, but the height difference wasn't a hindrance to him. Looking closely at the metal, he noticed that many cracks and scorch marks littered the once powerful-looking warsuit.

The armor would usually be discarded until Steppenwolf was as bare as Kal was, but Kal didn't want that. "Leave your armor on, _traitor_." He cried out, refusing to allow Steppenwolf the dignity of taking part in the ancient Apokoliptian ceremony. "I will kill you at your best!" Kal's eyes glowed red as he said it. He smirked as his cousin's Electro Ax hummed with power as Steppenwolf gripped it tightly in response, accepting the declaration.

"Now, everyone knows the rules." DeSaad said, "The only way this match ends is in death! Nothing is off limits! Now, FIGHT!" He screamed and all eyes narrowed down at the two fighters.

Kal and Steppenwolf circled each other; he was reminded of all the times they had done this while sparring. It made him angry! Steppenwolf had _failed_ and Kal needed to let his cousin's failure be an example to everyone.

He knew _everyone_ would be able to hear them but Kal didn't care, " _Such_ a disgrace!" He hissed, enraged that because of Steppenwolf's _weakness_ , Kal had to kill him, "How could you _dare_ show your face after your colossal failure? You should have been killed on the _ant's world!_ "

Steppenwolf's Ax glowed, "I am weary, cousin." He said vaguely, cold eyes showing such rage and pain that Kal raised an eyebrow, impressed. Steppenwolf snarled and leaped forward, foot outstretched.

Kal smacked the foot aside and kneed Steppenwolf in the side, smashing his fist into his stomach, armor not a problem against the might of Kal's power. He leaned back as his cousin swung his arm and the Ax narrowly avoided his face.

Steppenwolf suddenly lashed out with his foot and caught Kal in the stomach; he slid back several feet. He blocked a punch and countered with a fist to the stomach and another to the jaw. Steppenwolf lurched back and desperately swung his Ax. Kal ducked and flipped backward, avoiding Steppenwolf's outstretched leg.

Kal suddenly lashed out and caught his cousin on the side of the face with his foot. He spun around, gaining momentum and jumped, twirling his body until his foot smashed into Steppenwolf's face again. Steppenwolf slammed into the wall and the crowd roared in approval.

Steppenwolf growled and hurled his Ax at him with blinding power and speed, but Kal plucked it out of the air, "I believe in a fair fight." He said almost sadly and tossed the Ax behind him; it cluttered to the ground and the two cousins stared at each other for a moment.

As if an unspoken signal was launched, both combatants rushed the other; Kal ducked beneath a wild punch and spun around, harshly elbowing Steppenwolf in the stomach. He gripped his cousin's arm and spun back around, twisting the arm gruesomely, armor bending under his power, and flipped Steppenwolf over his shoulder.

Kal advanced and jumped, avoiding Steppenwolf's spinning kick. He landed and blocked a punch, slamming his fist into his cousin's face. Blood spurted out of the broken skin and shattered all of Steppenwolf's facial armor, and Kal felt sorrow and anger flood his body.

It was time to end this.

He blitzed forward, punching Steppenwolf's stomach, chest, and then his face. His cousin's face snapped to the side and blood oozed out of his mouth. He fell to the ground heavily, blood pooling out of his face beneath him.

Upon realizing his opponent was beaten, Kal turned around and stalked towards the discarded Ax. At least he no longer had to desecrate the memory of Steppenwolf.

The crowd suddenly roared and Kal heard his cousin unsteadily stand up. His face twisted into something dark; why couldn't _he_ just stay down? He slowly turned his head and saw Steppenwolf raise his fists, ragged, tattered armor gleaming in the light, hellfire glimmering.

Kal scowled viciously and roared, eyes glowing brilliantly. He didn't want to keep beating up his cousin! He wanted this fight to just _end!_

He heard Steppenwolf began to run towards him and Kal knew there was only one way this would end, one way this _could end._ He had always known.

He spun around and swung his right leg into Steppenwolf's exposed stomach, armor mangling upon contact with Kal's skin. He followed with a harsh left punch to the face and a right punch to the sternum, breaking the armor and feeling the bones in his cousin's sternum fracture. He then roared in hatred, driving his left fist upward into Steppenwolf's jaw with unimaginable force; his cousin's head snapped back like a slingshot and he stumbled back, eyes clouding.

Kal jumped and spun around, oscillating his right leg until it smashed into Steppenwolf's chest with absolute strength.

The armor that had always kept his cousin safe from the power of beings like the old gods crumpled, grinding into paste and exploded off of Steppenwolf's body in a shower of Apokoliptian metal. Kal felt every bone in his cousin's torso _shatter_. A large sonic boom had erupted upon contact and Steppenwolf lurched backward sickeningly, spinning around until he landed flat on his back, chest completely and obviously caved in, shattered armor pieces piercing his body from whence he fell.

A large crater, hundreds of meters in diameter, had formed around them.

Steppenwolf was beaten and Kal grabbed the Ax. He placed it at his cousin's throat, drawing blood.

Steppenwolf smiled weakly, blood staining his mouth, "Goodbye, cousin." He choked out; his shattered jaw had made it almost impossible to speak, but Kal understood what his cousin had said. Steppenwolf closed his cold eyes and acceptance was written in his actions.

Kal dropped the Ax forward and it slid into the ground, blood dripping off it. He breathed deeply and the Arena was silent.

He stared at his cousin's decapitated head; the final immortalized expression on Steppenwolf's face was one of utter peace. Time slowed down as he remembered how his cousin revealed that he was feeling old and tired. One time, Steppenwolf had, when they were on Rwetyul together, a distant mining colony in the southern parts of Apokolips, been absolutely drunk and had divulged that he yearned to be free of Darkseid, to be free from his ruthless enslavement under Kal's father, but Kal had swiftly knocked him out, believing that it was simply the alcohol speaking instead of his cousin.

Now, looking down at Steppenwolf's final, peaceful expression on his decapitated head, Kal realized that his cousin was speaking the truth several years ago. Steppenwolf had _wanted_ to die, had wanted his servitude to be over. A thought suddenly entered his mind about the Mother Boxes and the mission on Earth. Had Steppenwolf _purposefully_ failed in his mission so that he could die? Had he been so _desperately_ weary that he sought out death, sought humiliation instead of being a prized agent of Darkseid?

Time swiftly sped back up for him and Kal gripped his cousin's head, and lifted it proudly outward, showcasing it to the crowd.

A magnificent roar erupted, shaking his very soul, and Kal saw his father smirk slightly. The Furies were seated next to Darkseid and they beamed at him, love and lust shining in their eyes.

None of them understood that what he had just done had devastated him, just like Kalibak's death by his hands. He had murdered another member of his family to please his father. Would he eventually be forced to kill any of his future offspring to prove his loyalty to Darkseid? And, more importantly, would he do it?

Kal dropped Steppenwolf's head and it crashed into the ground, rolling for several feet, leaving a trail of blood.

Just like Kal did everywhere he went.

XxXxXxXxXxX

He stormed into his room and squeezed the Ax - his reward from Darkseid for killing Steppenwolf, feeling the urge to _kill_ almost overwhelm him. His anger mounted, rising through his mind like a towering tsunami. He needed to release his deep-seeded rage, and he knew just the way to do that. Kross steered clear and didn't even attempt to communicate telepathically.

He entered his rooms and his eyes glowed demonically when the Furies were waiting for him on his grand bed, all nude, love and lust shining in their hypnotic eyes. Based on their swollen lips and the _juices_ that stained several parts of his bed, the three had already had some _fun_ without him.

He dropped the Ax, blurring forward, stripping out of his garbs until he was as bare as they were. He looked them over and Grail shivered with desire, "Come have your _reward_ , Kal," She purred and sensually spread herself beside Lashina and Barda's sprawled, nude forms.

Kal's member twitched excitedly and he growled lowly, "Oh, _I intend to,"_ he shuffled closer until his thigh touched Barda's bent leg. He drifted his fingers across the smooth skin and felt the atmosphere cloud with sexual arousal, bearing down on the four of them like the sky itself.

Then he descended on Grail first, sating the unholy hatred throbbing in his soul.

XxXxXxXxXxX

 **Well, that's all for this one, everybody. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please, leave a review and tell me what you thought about it. I would really appreciate it.**

 ****The Furies were captured on Thanagar because of Orion and several New Genesis warriors. Kal recruits Lobo on his mission to rescue them and they have fun, slaughtering all of the Thanagarian guards. The quote about ants that Kal says is actually a Black Adam quote. I especially think that Kal's philosophy would center around it.**

 ****Steppenwolf failed in his mission to recover the Mother Boxes on Earth. Darkseid wasn't pleased and tasked Kal to kill him. I hope you liked the fight scene. I wasn't sure how it would come out, but I'm pretty pleased with it.**

 **Oh, if you feel that Kal was drowning in self-pity at the end, you're kind of right. He just killed his cousin, one of the very few people in the universe that he was fond of. Don't worry, Kal won't become a wimp or anything.**

 _ **Stay Safe  
**_ **ButtonPusher**


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate it when you guys reviews - it makes my day seeing a new one!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Justice League or any of the characters associated with DC Comics.**

XxXxXxXxXxX

Kneeling before the Source, Izaya felt trepidation. He had already known that his brother had made great strides in his conquest to conquer creation, but he had had no idea how much Darkseid had actually made. It was imperative that Izaya focus most, if not all of his energy towards monitoring Apokolips.

Orion had revealed knowledge of the Furies that he had fought on Thanagar, mentioning the abilities of a particular warrior who almost rivaled his nephew in pure, raw power. Izaya had then known, without any doubts, that Darkseid had sired another child.

When had his younger brother become so cunning? After Uxas' murder, Izaya hadn't paid enough attention to his devious brother. Oh, how Darkseid had learned! How had Izaya not foreseen this? What else had his brother been hiding from him? When did Izaya lose focus of the most dangerous being whom he'd ever met? While he was shepherding the formation of New Genesis and manufacturing the 'truce' of Orion and Scott Free?

Never again would he underestimate Darkseid, the force of darkness who compared to their father, Evil _._

Sooner or later, his younger brother would lay siege to New Genesis in the hopes of absorbing the power of every new god. A defense must be mounted and Izaya would be ready for the coming calamity. He would avenge all of those whom his brother had unjustly slaughtered, reap absolute depravity upon Darkseid and his armies, and most importantly, pilfer Uxas' power away from their malevolent brother.

The Highfather of New Genesis lifted his head away from staring at the asteroid he was balanced on and gazed at the frozen faces of every fool who had sought to enter the Source. They were all the same: gods and warriors, champions and conquerors and cretins, and they had all met the same fate. He memorized their countenances, forcefully reassuring himself that Destiny was on his side, smiling down at him while scowling at his younger brother.

The thought of the cosmic forces of the universe supporting Darkseid sent chills of dread through his heart. If that were, indeed, the case, New Genesis would fall and the universe would be securely in the grip of darkness.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The vortexes of energy throughout the cosmos were changing, becoming something new. Most would declare it a strange coincidence, but they were fools. It was a message, a herald meant only for a god _._

Darkseid had kept his attention on these happenings, determining when the best opportunity to strike would be. Because of Steppenwolf's failure, his meticulously-designed plans had needed to be retrofit. It was actually fortuitous. Because of his nephew's disgraceful retreat, he had learned much.

Earth had evolved greatly since the first time Steppenwolf had invaded a millennia ago. The humans had grown a backbone, a resistance that hadn't been accounted for. Evolution had surprisingly contributed as well, giving birth to several powerful mortals who were able to access powers and energies most couldn't dream of.

Most importantly, it had revealed the old gods' survival.

For almost a century, he had failed to sense anything concerning the old gods, and he had believed them to have finally faded, swept into the Source itself for he knew how pathetic they had been.

He had learned that he was wrong, though. When Steppenwolf had returned empty-handed, his fortress had quaked for hours - he was so enraged! Brutally interrogating his nephew had revealed that one of the resistance leaders he had encountered had been soaked with the energy of the old gods'.

Darkseid knew that his nephew could never defeat those interfering wastes of godly flesh, so he had tasked his heir to execute Steppenwolf and Darkseid hadn't been disappointed at the show of his son's power.

Kal-El was truly the perfect heir.

The Source had recognized that only Darkseid himself could succeed in his goals of destroying New Genesis with his son by his side, thus revealing to him that the Source himself favored Darkseid.

It was imperative that he go forth with his plans with Kal-El by his side.

The only problem presented to him was that of the three Mother Boxes still on Earth and their, no doubt, enhanced security. The one who was soaked in the energy of the old gods undoubtedly had taken at least one of the Boxes and hidden it. He didn't know where the others would be hidden. Steppenwolf's interrogation had revealed that the humans had evolved greatly and mastered the cloaking of energies. The Mother Boxes would be cloaked from Darkseid's gaze and the realization infuriated him; he needed those three Mother Boxes above all else. It was the key to becoming as powerful as the Source himself once he absorbed all of the new gods' after the destruction of New Genesis; existence would truly belong to him once he had the power of his father, of Evil himself, Yuga Khan.

He could send his heir to slaughter the human race, to eradicate them, but then there would be no guarantee that the Mother Boxes would be recovered. He didn't want to send the Furies for they were prone to let their emotions cloud their judgment, even his own daughter. A single path was all there could be.

Darkseid's only option was to dispatch his heir to Earth undercover, infiltrate the band of heroes and gain their trust and confidence, and then once they disclosed the Mother Boxes' locations, Kal-El would kill the heroes and secure the Boxes.

A small smile graced his features for he knew that Earth would finally fall and the old gods would wither away because of his son's power. Actually, he could conquer two birds with one stone. He would utilize the Furies and focus on preparing for the siege of New Genesis while Kal-El earned the trust of Earth and gathered the Mother Boxes.

A new era will soon disperse throughout the universe, the era of Darkseid.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"You know, since I'm traveling to Steppenwolf's place of disgrace, I can finally avenge him." Kal felt his eyes glow as the memory of murdering his cousin assaulted his mind. He refused to allow those band of heroes to continue to survive after the insult they had dealt him, particularly the old gods.

Grail smirked up at him, nude body sprawled next to his own, "I'm more than certain that you will, brother, but you must first let them live, and once you acquire the Mother Boxes, then their blood will drip from your hands. You have a fierce temper, rivaling that of our father's, so don't become blinded away from the true purpose of your mission."

Kal stared down at her in disbelief, "Do you have such a low opinion of me, Grail? I know the mission and I know the stakes just as Steppenwolf did; but this time, there is one considerable difference: I am angry and I will allow my wrath to motivate me that much more, and I will succeed in the mission, just as I always succeed. Anything less is a dishonor to my name and people."

"When you talk like that, especially with the feel of your rage in the air, I become so greatly aroused." Lashina purred, draping her bare arm across Kal's muscular, divine body. "I will miss you while you're gone."

"We all will," Barda added, looking up from her position between his legs. "I wish we could join you, Kal."

Grail kissed his chest, "But that would cause suspicion, especially since Kal is the only one who could truly convince them of his lies. After all, he learned from our father the art of deception, rivaling Darkseid himself."

Lashina hummed, nuzzling her cheek into his neck. "And what will you tell these ants who managed to ward off Steppenwolf?"

Kal glanced at his cousin's Electro Ax - now his weapon - which hung on the wall, near where Kross was eating one of the Lowlies from the fire pits as a snack. "I haven't decided what I'll tell them, but I have decided that Lobo will help me gain their trust and that I will reveal that I'm a Kryptonian, the Last Eradicator."

"What? Why?" Barda looked up at him in shock, "That would make them suspicious of you!"

"They would already be suspicious of me, no matter what I say, Barda." Kal pointed out, "So, what better way to gain their trust than to reveal my bloodline, thus manipulating them into believing that being a Kryptonian is the worst possible being that I could be? Then they would welcome the wolf into the sheep's herd."

Lashina gripped his face and kissed him hotly. "You are so perfect," she whispered. "They would then have no idea that you are Darkseid's son, and that Steppenwolf was your own cousin."

"And they wouldn't know that they had begun to place their trust the one who will become the harbinger of New Genesis' destruction." Kal finished darkly. Just the thought of his uncle and brother, Orion filled him with poisonous loathing.

Grail frowned, "Earth is primitive, isn't it? It's why we were so baffled that Steppenwolf had been warded off. How would they even know who the Eradicators were?"

Kal pulled her closer to him, her breasts pressed enticingly to his own skin. "They have a Green Lantern, from what I have gathered."

"Lapdogs for the oh-so-mighty Guardians of the Universe." Lashina spat, dark eyes burning with hatred. "They proclaim themselves rulers over all, but they are masters of nothing! They are self-appointed imposters!"

"Yes, they are," Barda nodded her head, hair falling around her face for a moment. "But they failed, and only one is worthy and powerful enough to rule over the universe." Her eyes glowed with determination and truth, "It is you, Kal, only you."

Kal's lips parted at her words and he actually felt wary, for he knew better than anyone that if his father heard such a statement, Darkseid would kill Barda immediately and probably ravage Kal's own body with Omega Beams.

Lashina's head swiveled to look at her fellow Fury, but surprisingly, no dispute was spoken. Instead, she nodded her head, "That's an irrefutable truth, absolutely."

Grail herself hadn't even reacted, staring up at Kal with hypnotic eyes. "Although it's treason against our father to even think such a notion, Barda isn't wrong - and I agree with her. We all do, and you alone will be whom we answer to."

Barda suddenly kissed his member and Kal instinctively closed his eyes as she spoke. "If you want us to continue to 'work' for Darkseid, we will. And if you want to overthrow your father, we will be by your side no matter what. We love you, Kal. We will do anything that you ask of us; we will be loyal to you above any other."

After several moments, he opened his eyes, staring at all three of the Furies. "Very well, then. You will still work for my father until I decide what I want to do. I'll be leaving for Earth in only hours so why don't you all gift me a memory to remember all of you by?"

"It would be our pleasure, brother." Grail brought his lips to her own and the swollen flesh aroused him, "Just make sure that you last until all of us are satisfied."

"I don't believe that will be a problem, my precious loves, not one bit."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Dan Turpin slumped at his desk, red splotch-colored eyes staring unseeingly at the computer screen. His shift had been over hours ago, but his replacement had never shown up, forcing him to stay at the precinct. It was times like these that made him regret choosing the life of a police officer in Metropolis.

It also didn't help that he was all alone in the precinct; everyone else had stupidly gone to see a prisoner's execution or taken their night shift off. He didn't know how the Chief had allowed such a thing, but he was too unconcerned to care as of now.

He took a sip from his now-cold coffee and it did nothing to spark his energy; he had plateaued and the caffeine rush didn't even affect him now. All that could help him was sleep, but if he was caught sleeping on the job, no matter if his shift was over, he would be fired, never to work for the police force again.

He heard the door open and didn't even look, too tired to move his head. When the shadow standing over him was a lot larger than anyone's whom he had ever seen, he finally managed to slightly crane his head to the side.

Adrenaline erupted through his system, filling him with energy once more as he stared at the… alien in front of him: red eyes stared down at him with black streaks beneath the alien's blood-colored eyes, long black hair cascaded down gigantic, inhumane shoulders. He was over eight feet tall and had bluish-white skin.

The creature was enormous, looming over Dan like death itself, the reaper himself, dwarfing the biggest bouncers in the world like they were small insects. Only pants were worn and the creature's chest was more muscular than anyone's whom he had ever seen - bulging muscles were draped all over the alien's body like an actual shirt, like bowling balls forced beneath thick-looking skin. Blood-stained chains with hooks at the end were wrapped around the alien's forearms, a large, powerful-looking gun was strapped to its back and large boots covered its feet.

The alien then knocked his fist on the desk a few times, causing it to crack ominously. "Hey, how is it going, chief? I thought that, maybe, you could help me out." Dan paled as the alien leaned on the table, looking completely at ease. "I'm new in town and I'm looking for these group of losers right here." He reached into his pants and pulled out a… metal cylinder. The alien pressed the side of it, and before Dan's eyes, a picture of the Justice League floated before his eyes.

"The Justice League?" He croaked out, daring to stare into blood-colored eyes. "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't keep tabs on them." When he noticed that the eyes narrowed, he swallowed and hastily added: "They only show up when there's trouble, big trouble."

He immediately regretted his words when the alien beamed, looking quite childish and plucked his massive, powerful-looking weapon off of his back, cocking it. "Oh, believe me, I can do trouble."

Dan only had enough time to close his eyes when the alien pointed the weapon at him.

Pain exploded through his mind for a brief second, and then, nothing.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Lobo reclined back in the man's seat, shoving the sludge that was left of the human off the fabric. He felt much stronger on this planet, the weaker gravity was a true blessing, and he was itching for the Justice League to show up. While he also could wait an eternity for Kal to show up and kick his ass, Lobo was excited for the long game con that was about to played by his best friend, when he would pretend to be 'Superman', a name that Lobo had burst out with laughter when Kal had shared it with him.

After several moments, he then picked up the hat that the human had been wearing before Lobo killed him and placed the too-small thing on his head. "All right, Justice League, come fight me," he laughed and began firing his weapon at the walls of the room, explosions peacefully soothing to his mind.

"Stand down!"A voice eventually echoed from outside the building. "We have you surrounded."Lobo simply tossed one of his grenades through one of the holes in the wall and the sound of rupturing, blood-curdling screams were a balm to his now-annoyed heart.

Minutes passed and no one of importance showed up. "Son of a fraggin' whore," he groaned, spinning around in the chair. "Man, this is getting lame. I thought that they would be here by now!" He yawned and smacked his head on the desk, smashing it to pieces. He slowly looked up, firing his weapon, again and again, trying to cause as much chaos as possible. From what Kal had told him, these police stations were where the good guys worked, where they put criminals into prisons, so why hadn't anyone shown up? "Woah! Mosquito!" He cried out and blasted it, a silly grin on his face.

"No!" A large behemoth of a corpse abruptly burst through the door and immediately started crying, "Clay! No! You killed Clay!"

Another man in an orange and black armored uniform entered, a sword held in his hand, "Shut up, Grundy. He'll regenerate, you dumb fool."

Lobo raised a brow and lazily pointed his weapon at them, "You two geeks aren't the Justice League."

The man with armor shook his head, not seeming concerned. "No, we aren't, but it seems that you're wanting a piece of them, right?"

"Yeah, but what's it to you two fraggers?"

"We are a part of the Injustice League," the man declared. "We are the enemies of the Justice League and seek their downfall. Now, we've been missing a part, and I think that you would fit perfectly."

Lobo shrugged, knowing that Kal wouldn't care - he was listening to the entire thing from across this human city. "Sure! Let's go. The sooner I can face the Justice League, the more frags I'm sure to get."

"You fuckin' heathen!" Lobo leaned his head forward dramatically, watching as the place where the mosquito had died suddenly became thick with a goop. Slowly, the goop morphed into a gray humanoid shape, "Do you know how hard it is to regenerate?"

"Sure I do!" Lobo cried out, feeling offended. "And to prove it to ya, watch this!" He suddenly fired his weapon through his own head, watching as they all looked shocked at his actions, but he still shrugged with a blackened and sizzling hole through his skull. "See? I'm fine and it's easy to regenerate, loser." The hole closed and was good as new.

The man in the mask sheathed his sword, "I think that Luthor will like you, especially your usefulness."

"I don't give no frags about anyone named Luthor, geek. All I want is the Justice League."

"And you'll get them!" A different voice echoed and Lobo watched as a group of people entered through the building, "And I think that your actions here will bring them to us." The man was bald and his eyes were cold, eerily reminding Lobo of Lashina. "Will you join us as we battle, and hopefully triumph over the Justice League?"

Lobo grinned, "Is a frag the best thing you can experience?" He hopped off the chair, "The name's Lobo. That's 'L' as in lacerate. 'O' as in obliterate. 'B' as in baleful and 'O' as in obstruction."

The bald man smiled coyly, "Welcome to the Injustice League, Lobo. Things are going to change today - I can feel it."

XxXxXxXxXxX

The meeting was tedious at best as Batman presented his findings on the Injustice League, and Diana, even with all of her powerful abilities, found it difficult to pay attention, and based on what she observed through everyone else, she wasn't the only one.

J'onn seemed to be the only one who was following Batman's presentation of data. The Martian nodded his head respectfully. "Batman, if I may, have you been able to identify what the Injustice League's objective is?"

Black Canary raised her hand, Green Arrow snapping to attention when she spoke. "It's spearheaded by Lex Luthor and who knows how his mind works?"

"That is true," J'onn conceded. "I've read his mind, but even I can't grasp the origins of his thoughts; his intelligence is beyond anything that I've ever seen."

"We just need to capture him," Barry Allen leaned forward, hands pressed on the table. "We've all been suspecting that the only reason that Steppenwolf came to earth for those Mother Boxes was because of Lex Luthor, that they communicated."

"And that is correct. I've learned that much," Victor Stone said, looking down at his cyborg-like body, and Diana reached out and grasped his metal hand, squeezing it.

Oliver Queen whistled, "Damn, I gotta say that if we can pin the evidence on Luthor and make it stick, he'll go to prison for life."

"If he doesn't escape first," Diana pointed out. "Who knows? Luthor might actually have designs to gather the Mother Boxes."

"But he'll never get them," Arthur Curry shook his head adamantly. "He can try, but he'll fail - and so will those who seek them, too!"

"But what about the others, Batman?" J'onn then asked, "Clayface, Deathstroke, Grundy, Parasite, Grodd, Cheetah, Bane, and their heavy-hitter: Black Adam?"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Barry interrupted, "We failed to stop the Injustice League from resurrecting Black Adam because we were fighting Steppenwolf, that prickly bastard, but is there a way that we could reverse it? Put Black Adam back in his prison?"

All eyes turned to look at Diana and she sighed. "It wasn't a resurrection, merely a rescue. From what I know, there is no way to reverse what they had done. The magical artifacts that they had stolen from the museums were destroyed by Black Adam immediately after he was freed, so I can't think of anything that could replicate it except an ancient Amulet that vanished decades ago. Believe me, I've looked and it's not on this planet, if it even still exists."

John Stewart rubbed his temple, "Do you want me to, perhaps, ask the Guardians of Oa?"

"Not yet," Batman's voice cut through the room. "I want to- "

An alarm suddenly blared and Diana leaped from her seat, "What is it? The Injustice League?"

"Yup," Barry pulled his mask over his face, looking at the monitor. "It's weird, though. They're at the Metropolis Police Precinct."

"How many?" Batman demanded, sweeping towards the exit.

"All of them and it looks like they have a new friend."

XxXxXxXxXxX

They were outnumbered, almost surrounded, and it wasn't how she had expected the battle to go. Luthor's newest member was quite the problem, incapable of staying down. His healing factor surpassed anything that she had ever seen and it had become apparent, at least to her, that he could, with the right equipment, pick each of them off.

"Hey, I need some help here!" The Green Arrow cried out, trying to escape from Grundy. "This thing is a fucking behemoth!"

Diana batted Cheetah's incoming fist away and kicked her away before she jumped in front of Grundy, "Get away from him!"

"Grundy pluck head off your shoulders!" Grundy roared and smashed his large fists into her shield, the echoing vibration shattering all glass in the radius of the battle.

Diana took the brief moment to look at her surroundings. Luthor was standing on the steps of the Metropolis Police Precinct, ordering his members where to go and whom to fight, aiding them with his mind. Batman was fighting Deathstroke, both combatants evenly matched while both Grodd and Parasite were challenging J'onn and Arthur. Black Canary battled Clayface, her sonic screams disrupting his powers, and Cyborg fought against Bane, their strength unable to beat the other. John Stewart was fighting against the Injustice League's newest friend and Cheetah at the same time while Barry and now-Oliver were trying to contain Black Adam but it was noticeable to her that they were failing.

Something needed to be done or Black Adam would overwhelm everyone, including her. So, she grabbed her Lasso and tied Grundy with it, quickly swooping both Parasite and Grodd, too, when they were distracted in its unbreakable grip. She quickly handed the Lasso to J'onn, "Here, hold them while I and Aquaman help the others." She quickly joined the battles against Luthor's newest pet, hoping that Barry and Oliver could hold off Adam a little longer.

"Take out Cheetah and then go help them - and you, too, Aquaman - with Black Adam, I can handle this one." She shouted at John Stewart and the Lantern nodded, but not before sending one last construct at the newest recruit of Luthor's as he turned his sole attention towards Cheetah.

"Damn, you're quite a looker," the new member hooted, easily breaking through the construct. "What's your name, honey?"

"What's yours?" She countered, surprised at the show of the brute's great strength. It took a lot of effort for even her to punch apart Stewart's constructs on one try.

The creature beamed, "The name's Lobo, so- " Diana quickly shoved her sword through his chest, but Lobo simply laughed, landing a hard and solid punch to her face because she was so shocked. "You're feisty, I like that. Maybe I can tame you, huh? What do ya think?"

Diana felt her split lip with her tongue, tasting the blood. "I think that you should crawl back into whatever pit you were born in!" She charged at Lobo, smashing her shield into his head, slinging it back grotesquely, and she used the distraction to pull her sword out of his chest. "Who are you? Why are you allied with Luthor?"

"Babe, you wouldn't believe me even if I told ya." Lobo spun around and pointed the barrel of his powerful-looking gun at her. "This ain't gonna kill you, but it will hurt like a fraggin' bastard."

She narrowly avoided the blast, but she saw that because she rolled to the side, the blast connected with Clayface's back, and the creature fell with a cry of pain as he exploded. Diana's eyes widened - that was a powerful weapon.

"Lobo, kill her!" Luthor roared from the steps, his cold eyes sending shivers up Diana's spine. "With her out of the way, the others will fall! She's the Queen!"

Black Canary unleashed an ear-rupturing sonic scream, the vortex of screams smashing Lobo near Victor and Bane. "Cyborg and I will deal with those two, but they need your help with Adam. GO!"

Diana didn't waste a second as she leaped towards where Adam was, barely saving Green Arrow in time from a lightning strike.

He looked up at her, blood streaming for several wounds on his face. "You must kill him, it's the only way to stop him. Only you can do it." He then passed out, eyes rolling to the back of his head, only the sclera visible until his eyelids shut.

She winced when the sound of Black Canary's scream assaulted her ears, but she stood up and glimpsed that Cheetah was now, somehow, in her Lasso's grip, and it was a relief. Only Deathstroke, Bane, Lobo, and… Black Adam remained until they could put Luthor in prison where he belonged.

Diana floated in the air, watching as Black Adam smashed through Lantern's constructs like paper, divine power floating through the area as the freed being whom she had only heard legends of threw thunderbolts down at the Flash, the lightning creating craters in the street. The Trident suddenly darted through the air, but Adam simply plucked it out of the sky, throwing it back at Arthur with such speed that he was impaled in the shoulder. Atlantis' King fell with a roar of pain and she blurred forward with a warrior's cry, but Black Adam was too fast, turning around and snagging her by the throat, trapping her wrist in his other hand, keeping the sword from swiping through his body.

She stared into his dark orbs, feeling powerless beneath the power in them. "I can feel your strength, child, but it won't defeat me - none of you will! You may have the power of a few gods, but I have the power of six of them!" The air became heavy as a thunderbolt formed in his hands, "You, child of Zeus, are but an ant before me!"

Before he could strike her, a small red and orange lightning bolt hit Adam in the side of his face. He didn't look hurt, but rather shocked, and it was enough as his grip loosened. Diana swiped upward with her sword sliced deeply into his chest, divine blood falling to the ground like rain.

Black Adam's roar of pain shook the heavens and he headbutted her, smashing her down into the street, creating a crater as she shook the area with her landing. It took her several moments to blink through her blurred vision, but she gasped at what she saw. John Stewart had been struck out of the sky, too, and Adam had healed fully, his speed a magnificent sight as he battled the Flash.

Barry was faster, but it was noticeable that the only reason he was still alive was that of his speed. If Adam even touched him, he would die, and Diana refused to let that happen. She shakily stood to her feet, feeling her body heal from the vortex-creating headbutt.

"Wonder Woman!" Victor cried out and she whirled around in a panic, watching as Lobo's fingers began to crush the robotic chest of her friend.

Diana's eyes widened and she blurred forward, "Leave him alone!"

Lobo somehow moved away from her, a silly grin on his face. "We gotta stop meetin' like this, honey. Now why don't you tell me your name?"

"Because you're a soon-to-be-dead alien!" She swiped her sword at him, but he grinned as he stepped into the blade. Her sword sank deep into his chest, but he winked.

"I never tire of the looks on people's faces when- "

An ion blast smashed into his face as Victor's body repaired itself. "You talk too much."

"Indeed, he does," Batman suddenly appeared and Diana saw that Deathstroke was lying unconscious in the street where Clayface was trying to rouse him.

"J'onn, capture Clayface in my Lasso!" She shouted as she bolted back towards Black Adam, eager to see him in chains. She swung her arm back and flung the shield at the Egyptian conqueror.

The shield connected with the back of Black Adam's skull and he wavered in the air before he whirled around to face her. "You again! I'm impressed. That actually hurt."

"Then this shouldn't surprise you," she struck out with her sword but he dodged it. "I've heard of your legend and I always knew what a monster you were."

"You're just like all of the rest, then. I am not a villain, not a monster. I'm a realist, one who saw the truth before I was unjustly imprisoned."

Diana spun around and her foot connected with his face and the dull ache in her limb startled her, and she realized how much stronger Black Adam truly was. Before she could react, a giant green hand-construct smashed Adam into the street, flattening him, continuously pounding him, the sound like thunderclaps as Arthur fired lightning bolts from his Trident into Adam's downed form, hopefully keeping the Egyptian down.

"Ah, shit!" Victor suddenly cried out and she saw that J'onn had been struck by surprise, holding a hand to his head, and the Lasso was no longer containing most of the Injustice League.

Her eyes widened in dread and she honestly didn't know how a victory would be a reality as they all regrouped except for Black Adam.

"I need a little boost!" Parasite charged at her and she stepped back into a defensive stance, prepared to stab him through the chest, but she wasn't able to.

A car crashed into her back and she stumbled before Grundy's foot smashed into the same spot and Diana then fell into Parasite's waiting arms.

Immediately, she felt her energy ebb away and she struggled, but she couldn't overpower Parasite. The creature hummed in ecstasy, "I'll never feel weak again! I might just keep you around like a toy, Wonder Woman. Your uses would be numerous."

"Let go of her, Parasite. Go feed on Aquaman, he'll provide more energy for you." Lex Luthor suddenly appeared in her vision as she fell to the ground bonelessly, barely able to hold herself up on her elbows. "I need access to their headquarters and she'll give it to us."

"And why would I do that, Luthor?" She spat out, fear a heavy presence in her mind. Never before in her existence had she felt so weak, so frail, so mortal.

Lex Luthor bent down, his fingertips lightly clapping together. "Why, you ask? Look around you, Wonder Woman, you're in no position to bargain."

And look around she did: all of her teammates were down. Gorilla Grodd loomed over Black Canary, Batman, and Green Arrow, his animal eyes glowing with telepathic power. Arthur looked as weak as she herself felt, Parasite standing over him, energy sparking through his form. Bane and Clayface kept Victor contained, the gooey substance of Clayface an adaptable prison that imprisoned her friend while Bane held a knife above his human eye. Grundy and Cheetah had knocked J'onn unconscious and his Martian body lay mangled in the street while Black Adam had crushed John Stewart's fingers, plucking off the Lantern ring off her teammate's finger as he dropped the unprotected human into the street near Grodd, who swiftly focused some of his attention on him. In Adam's other hand, he held the Flash by the throat, dark orbs staring down at her from his place in the sky.

Luthor was right.

"You can't do it, Wonder Woman!" Victor yelled, ignoring the knife held above his eye. "Who knows what Luthor would do with its technology?"

"Oh, I do, Cyborg." Luthor purred, "I could use that technology for my own gain. Tell me the access code, Wonder Woman, or your friends will die." He paused and turned to Lobo. "Actually, my new friend, since this wouldn't have been possible without you, what do you think would be the best way for Wonder Woman to reveal the codes?"

Diana frowned slightly when she saw Lobo look around wildly for a moment, as if looking for something or someone, before he answered. "I'd say let that Black Adam fellow, who packs a helluva punch, beat it out of her."

Luthor blinked before a smile curved his lips, "Yes, yes, that would work. ADAM! Lobo can keep the Flash contained."

Black Adam descended down to the earth, looking every bit the god she had heard of, rivaling her father himself, if not surpassing him. Lobo swiftly took the Flash from Adam's grip and Diana fiercely hoped that Barry could swiftly escape, but Lobo immediately smashed his foot into Barry's legs and the bone-cracking echo was torture for her as Barry screamed in pain.

Adam looked down at her, "Have you ever learned how I was imprisoned? It was an ambush, a mission headed by Zeus himself that imprisoned me in the Rock of Eternity. Your kin, your blood, your father unjustly sentenced me to a prison of eternal darkness, and since they are all dead, I will gain my vengeance on the last of his line - you."

Diana was about to speak, but her eyes widened when she noticed a civilian walking towards them dressed in a plaid, flannel shirt and worn-looking jeans. And, by the gods, he was handsome and muscular, but he was only human, and he was going to get himself killed!

"Wait, stop!" She cried out, trying to stall Adam and hopefully warn the civilian away before the Injustice League noticed him.

But her attempt to help accomplished nothing as Adam glared down at her, a thunderbolt forming in his hand, and then Grodd noticed the civilian.

"Hey, boss! We have a civilian here." His dark and inhumane voice echoed, "It's weird, though, I can't even feel his mind and that's impossible. I don't think that he has a mind, then."

Luthor turned around, staring at the civilian as he walked closer, "No mind? Is he a magic conjuration, then?"

"I don't know, boss, but- "

Parasite interrupted, "Holy shit! I'm starting to feed off of his energy from here - without touching him! I've never imagined such- …there's so much power."

Diana noticed that Adam finally turned his attention to the civilian - in fact, all of the Injustice League did. She tried to get up, but she was still too weak from Parasite's powers.

"You can't be here!" She desperately called out, trying to warn the mindless civilian, but Lobo turned to glare at her.

"Quiet, honey, I don't want to miss this!" Lobo winked as he turned to stare at the civilian, Barry still held in his grip, legs broken.

The civilian continued to walk forward and Parasite drunkenly walked towards him, hands outstretched in awe and hunger. "I need more… Give me everything!" The civilian did nothing except walk directly towards him and Parasite reached out his arms and Diana couldn't believe her eyes. She was going to watch this innocent civilian man get turned to dust by Parasite's powers. "POWER!" Parasite screamed in ecstasy as his glowing hands shook with fervor where they touched the man's shoulders. "UNLIMITED… POWER!"

Luthor took a step forward, looking almost concerned and Diana watched as Parasite's face twisted in horror, faltering and spasming as skin began to melt and boil. Then, an anguished and realized expression was carved into his melted face before he exploded, a decimating nuclear-like bomb that shook the entire city, glass across buildings shattering and cracks appearing in their foundations.

When the dust cleared, Diana gasped as she saw the man standing directly in front of Black Adam, looking bored. Who was this man? Was he a god? Did one of the Olympians survive Ares' onslaught? Was this Apollo or Hercules? Maybe even one of her uncles?

The man had yet to raise his head and Luthor looked enraged - yet little traces of fear were visible. "Adam, kill him!"

Black Adam didn't waste a moment and Diana was unable to do anything as a divine fist approached the man's face with hypersonic speed. But the man's own hand blurred upward and… Adam's fist was caught by the civilian, a wave of power exploding through the air from the concussive force of their hands colliding.

Gasps echoed through the street and she saw Luthor pale, but Diana, after getting over her own shock, saw Lobo look gleeful.

"How… what is this?" Adam gasped out and then abruptly punched his other fist forward, but the man simply caught the other one, looking unconcerned while Adam grunted and strained. "Who are you?"

The man didn't say a word; instead, he raised his head, and his eyes glowed blood-red, a light so bright that Diana found it hard to look at him. Beams of pure energy surged out of his glowing orbs and Adam was blasted backward into the Police Precinct.

Luthor stumbled back, looking more panicked and fearful than she had ever seen him. "Get him! No, kill him! Somebody kill him!"

All of the Injustice League charged at the man, but they all fell one-by-one. First, Deathstroke's sword shattered when it connected to the man's face and then the civilian simply blew through his mouth and a hurricane exploded towards Clayface and Deathstroke, sending them across the area like tumbleweeds.

Grundy and Grodd roared, their bestiality focused on the civilian, but the man smacked them aside like a child might their toys, like an adult would a baby. Diana's eyes continued to bulge from her sockets as she noticed the bones of both Grundy and Grodd's faces had caved in, their bodies lying unconscious in the street.

Fearful looks were passed between Cheetah and Luthor before Cheetah leaped at the man while Bane attempted to catch the man off-guard from behind. Bane's fist approached the back of the man's head, but Diana winced when the sound of every bone in his hand and forearm shattering echoed through the air terribly; the venom-touched man then choked soundlessly, falling to his knees, staring down at his mangled hand in pain and disbelief.

Cheetah screeched victoriously as her claws slashed through the man's face and the man actually looked surprised, but Diana noticed that no pain registered in his features. Before the man defended himself, Cheetah slashed her other claws through the man's neck, almost cleaving his head from his shoulders, blood spilling onto the pavement in buckets.

Diana swallowed in horror before the man's arm snagged Cheetah by the throat, his speed godly to her own eyes and she noticed that his own neck had healed almost instantaneously. "That actually hurt," the man murmured and effortlessly caught Cheetah's incoming fist, crushing the feline's wrist like tissue paper and Diana suddenly realized how powerful this civilian was. She herself had much trouble wounding Cheetah because the feline was an Avatar of Urzkartaga, great divine power flowing through her body, yet this man had simply snapped her wrist like it was a twig.

Cheetah was suddenly smashed into the police precinct where Black Adam was finally exiting, looking murderous, divine eyes connecting with the man's.

"You will pay for that!" The Egyptian roared and bolted forward, lightning crackling across his fists. "You may be my physical match, but you aren't my equal!"

The man didn't say anything, merely watching Black Adam approach with lightning-speed. A blast of Lobo's powerful-looking weapon suddenly connected into the man's back, stunning him for a moment so that Adam's lightning-coated fist would be able to smash into his face with enough force to create a magnificent crater around the area, air sweeping through the street in a hurricane.

Diana began to feel her energy slowly return and she attempted to help the man whom she could no longer see because of the sudden dust that blocked her eyes, but lightning spasmed through her body and it hurt, forcing her to her knees once more as Black Adam's glowing yellow eyes glared at her. While she was the daughter of Zeus, her energy had been stolen by Parasite and thus with it, her immunity to lightning.

"Impossible!" Black Adam then declared at something that she couldn't see, but she heard traces of fear in his tone. "That punch would have shattered the moon!"

"You'll find that I am quite durable," the man's deep, calm and soothing-like voice reached her ears faintly and the air began to clear and she could see that the man and Black Adam stared at each other. "I think that you know that you won't defeat me. You cannot win. The Justice League is beginning to regroup and heal, and I will help them." She staggered to her feet at the man's words, watching as Arthur did the same, looking as weak as she felt as he leaned on his Trident heavily.

Black Adam noticed them and laughed, "You are mistaken, and I think that you know that you won't defeat me. They are mortals, even Wonder Woman! They are frail and weak, unworthy of true power."

Lobo suddenly jumped into the crater, pointing his powerful-looking weapon at the man. "Hey, big cheese, this can go down two ways: you surrender, or we kill ya. Please pick the latter option, I beg you." The gun glowed with energy and the man raised his hands and Diana felt despair fill her.

How would they win?

Luthor suddenly appeared from wherever he had been hiding. "Excellent, now kill him!"

Diana blinked in shock as Black Adam floated closer to the man, Lobo doing the same. The man didn't move as the gun was placed directly on his forehead, two sets of monstrous eyes condemning him.

"STOP!" She cried out, trying to buy time so that she and the League could help him.

A whoosh of air and before Diana even registered any movement, the man, Lobo, and Black Adam had vanished.

"Holy shit!" Barry croaked from where he laid in the street, head turned towards the crater, awe carved into his face. "That man is fast! Even I had a hard time processing his movements. He batted away the gun, and before those two hellish-looking dudes could defend themselves, that guy just grabbed them, even Black Adam, by the throats and ran away!"

Diana inhaled slowly, "We must find that man."

"Yes," Batman said softly, gingerly holding his ribs. "We have questions that he must answer."

J'onn slowly morphed back into his usual form, looking exhausted, "And we must detain Lex Luthor and the Injustice League members who didn't escape in the chaos."

Who was that man, and what had happened to him, Lobo, and Black Adam?

XxXxXxXxXxX

"I feel pleasantly surprised," he said calmly as he dropped the two before him, amused at Black Adam's attempts to escape during the trip. "Lobo, well done, my friend."

Lobo slowly stood to his feet, slinging his gun on his back once more, beaming. "Thanks, Kal."

"Kal?" The man whom he understood to be called Black Adam asked before he shot lightning at him but he simply held up his hand in front of the lightning, ignoring the sting of such an action. "Who are you?"

"I am Kal-El, your new god."

"I know of no gods named Kal-El!"

Kal smiled slightly. "Perhaps we could become friends, just as Lobo and I are."

Black Adam's lightning attack stopped, and the powerful man looked astonished. "Friends? I have no friends, not even those of the Injustice League. I am in their debt because they saved me from my prison, that's all. I want the daughter of Zeus' head for her father's actions towards me millennia ago!"

"Yes, I heard you mention how all of Zeus' brethren - himself included - are extinct," he murmured, thinking furiously. His cousin had been defeated by one who held the blood of the old gods. Was it Zeus' daughter who was behind his cousin's defeat? "Is Zeus' daughter the only one who has divine blood out of anyone?"

"She was fine-lookin', wasn't she?" Lobo asked rhetorically.

"Besides ourselves, she is the only one with divine blood." Black Adam seemed to relax. "Who are you, Kal-El? You defended the Justice League, but you seem… hostile towards them now, particularly Zeus' daughter, Wonder Woman."

Kal glanced at Lobo before answering. "I need the Justice League alive. Wonder Woman owes me a debt that I intend to secure by spilling her blood. She killed my cousin, or at least led to his death."

Black Adam's eyes widened. "Cousin? Do you mean… Steppenwolf?"

"You know of him?"

"The entire world knows of your cousin, Steppenwolf, Kal-El. The only reason why the Injustice League and Luthor were able to rescue me from my prison was that of Steppenwolf's invasion and thus, the Justice League's distraction."

"It seems we find ourselves in a conundrum, Black Adam." Kal hummed, floating slightly off of the ground, amazed at the weak gravity on the planet. Apokolips' was much more intense! "We both want the daughter of Zeus' head."

Black Adam's eyes ignited with lightning. "And it is I who deserves the honor! I've rotted in prison for millennia because of Zeus."

"Exactly," he said, surprising both Black Adam and Lobo. "Your quarrel is with Zeus himself, not his daughter. That is why the honor will fall to me, instead. She ended my cousin, so I will end her."

"That actually makes sense, you know?" Lobo looked at Black Adam expectantly.

"How dare you?" Black Adam bellowed, the ground shaking from his words, but Kal remained unaffected, looking at the powerful man unimpressed. "Since you covet your own death by denying me Wonder Woman's head, I will grant you your request!"

Kal raised a brow and sighed. "I had hoped that you would be more reasonable, but I'll give you time to cool off." Suddenly, the Amulet of Anubis appeared in his hands and he delighted in Adam's sudden bloodless features.

"You- the Amulet! You have it?" Adam began to back away, fear plaguing his stance. "NO! I will not go back!"

Lobo laughed boisterously. "I think that he needs to remember what his prison was like, Kal. It will show him how generous and powerful you are."

Before he could reply, Black Adam blitzed forward, the speed impressive enough to Kal, but he simply caught Adam by the throat once more, squeezing and squeezing until the muscles and veins in the man's neck began to burst and rupture. With the Amulet in his other hand, he focused and almost instantly, before Black Adam could escape, the false god was enveloped in a bright light, vanishing into the Amulet with a hysterical screech of defiance at Kal.

"Well, that was anticlimactic." Lobo hooted, cracking his neck. "That was fun, though. I have never felt such strength before in my body. The gravity here is weaker than a bug! Is this how you feel all of the time, Kal?"

"Yes, but even stronger."

"What are we gonna do now?"

"I will return to the League and you need to leave the planet. We'll keep in contact, don't worry."

"What are you gonna tell them?"

"That you vanished in the midst of Black Adam and I fighting."

"But what about Black Adam? You gonna tell 'em about the Amulet?"

Kal chuckled, "No. I'm going to say that I defeated him but before I could bring him to the League, he screamed the word 'Shazam' and a bolt of lightning hit him, turning him to dust."

"You know how his immortality works?"

"Yes, when the lightning bolt hits him after saying 'Shazam,' he will be transforming into his mortal form, and since his mortal body is thousands of years old, it would be destroyed immediately."

"All right, I better take off."

"Thanks for your help. You were quite convincing. If I didn't know better, I would say that you enjoyed shooting me with your gun."

Lobo cackled, "Oh, please, Kal. Give me some credit, I was only doing what I had to."

Kal hid his smirk, "Just get out of here before one of the League shows up. It's time that they and I speak."

XxXxXxXxXxX

 **That's all for this one, everyone. I'm sorry about the long wait, but I won't belabor my reasoning: I hit writer's block and life was busy. (Plus, I was kind of focusing on my other stories for a while.)**

 ****Kal and Lobo encounter the Justice and Injustice League! I struggled with which members of both Leagues would appear, but I'm content with the ones whom I chose. If you ever want to see another member, particularly a villain, appear, just let me know!**

 **Okay, I know that the whole Diana-losing-to-Black-Adam thing (she lost to Parasite because she had been caught off-guard) may have rubbed some of you the wrong way, but there has NEVER, that I could find at least, been an encounter in which Diana has beaten Black Adam. (If there is one where Diana does beat him, let me know.) It's always Superman or Shazam who beat him, never really anyone else. Let's also put Black Adam's power in perspective: he has the power of six gods while Diana is just the daughter of Zeus, one god. Black Adam has the stamina of Shu, the speed of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aton, and the courage of Mehen. Diana really can't compete with that, not even, in my opinion, her New 52 version.**

 **Now, Kal pretty much smacked everyone around because if he wanted to, he could do that anytime he wanted. It's canon that Rebirth Superman can destroy entire universes, but because he's Superman, he doesn't. This version of Kal-El has been raised by Darkseid so he will definitely hold no qualms with really holding back, especially against someone like Black Adam. This isn't the "normal" Superman or Kal-El. This is an AU where his ship crashed on Apokolips and as a result, he was found by Darkseid as a baby and raised by him. He's not going to be a pushover as others usually depict him; he's a god in his mind and he acts like it. Also, in the New 52, when Superman 'fell' into Apokolips' firepit, he became the god of strength during the Darkseid War. If he became a god just from a single exposure to Apokolips firepit, how powerful would he be after living on Apokolips his entire life, near the firepit all of the time? In short, he's ridiculously powerful, second only to Darkseid himself throughout this AU! in all reality. (I'm not counting beings like Anti-Monitor, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Spectre, Lucifer Morningstar, and Archangel Michael.)**

 **I think that's everything. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought; they really help me out. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!**

 _ **Stay Safe  
**_ **ButtonPusher**


	5. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate it when you guys reviews - it makes my day seeing a new one!**

 **All right, I know that, at first, this had been a SM/WW fic, but that was unrealistic. It's now a Kal-El/Harem because Kal is a son of Darkseid, a being far above any Prince, King, Emperor, or Warlord; he would have a harem, realistically. Now, that could potentially include Diana, and she would probably be the Queen or something, although that will not be the main storyline - romance or stuff like that isn't my strong suit.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Justice League or any of the characters associated with DC Comics.**

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Hello, my friends," he landed behind the League silently, amused at how they all whirled around in unison, astonishment and fear on their faces. "It was an honor to fight beside you."

"You're the one who did all of the fighting," the woman who possessed the sonic scream ability looked up at him warily after overcoming her blatant shock. "It was most impressive."

The one whom Lobo had held nodded his head up and down; he believed this to be the Flash. "That's damn right. You're fast, man, and without the Speed Force!"

Kal blinked, actually unfamiliar with the term. "Speed Force?"

"Yeah, it's a- "

"Enough!" Batman stalked closer to him and Kal admired the human's boldness. "Where are the two of them? Black Adam and… the freak?"

"His name was Lobo, Batman." Wonder Woman - and by the stars in the universe, she was resplendent with her raven black hair loose and tumbling down her back, somehow adding allure to her armor - stated evenly, staring up at him with gratefulness. Kal found himself staring back at her for a moment, using his vision to see through the armor to view her divine beauty - and what a glorious view it was - before he remembered that she was responsible for his cousin's demise.

"Where are they, sir? Did you… kill them?" Kal immediately lost all of his admiration for Batman. Just based on the tone, he discerned that the act of killing was repulsive to the human; it was amusing that he believed himself to be making the world safer without killing the scum of existence. It was arrogance beyond even himself; only fools believed that and the Batman was the biggest of all it seemed.

Kal forced a disbelieving expression to appear on his face. "Kill them? No, I didn't kill them. The Black Adam fellow and I were duking it out for a while, and… during our fight, Lobo somehow escaped. He called upon a bike or something and blazed towards the heavens."

"I wasn't aware that a bike could do such a thing," the man with the Trident commented.

"Damn it," the Cyborg-like creature grunted. Kal scanned him and felt triumph sweep through him. He now knew whom to befriend to find the Mother Boxes. "I wanted to take samples of his cells."

Wonder Woman, it seemed, understood what the Cyborg was speaking of for she placed a hand on his metal shoulder. "It's okay, Victor. I'm sorry that he escaped."

"And Black Adam?" The green-skinned alien finally spoke. Based on what Kal had seen from across the city, this one was probably the second most dangerous being behind Zeus' daughter. "What happened to him? Did he escape, too?"

"You could say that," he said softly, knowing that they would all hear him. "I had him beat, but when I was about to bring him to you guys, he screamed 'Shazam' and suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning descended from the heavens." Kal shook his head and forced himself to shudder for good measure. "Then the guy… somehow changed. His body suddenly became…"

"Mortal," the daughter of Zeus finished and Kal nodded slowly.

"That sounds right. Instantaneously, he became disgustingly older; it was as if he were aging thousands of years in the blink of an eye. Then he disintegrated into dust and the breeze swept his 'remains' away."

Suddenly, he was no longer the center of attention; they all stared at Wonder Woman, who was the only one who didn't look shocked by his words about Black Adam.

"Is that true?" Batman demanded, "You know everything about him, it seems. Could that happen?"

"It would be likely to happen," the daughter of Zeus said immediately. "He would never want to be imprisoned again and death, to him, would be a safe haven. He assumed his mortal form after thousands of years of being in his immortal one; the air didn't agree with him, I would guess."

"We have locked all of the Injustice League up," the Green Lantern changed the subject. "Luthor should be put away for life because he was the mastermind of all of the crimes that they committed. We just need to pin the invasion of Steppenwolf on him."

Kal didn't react but he did lean forward, false curiosity carved into his features. "Steppenwolf? Wasn't that the guy who came here to conquer?"

"Yes, he was," the man dressed in green with a bow in his hands finally spoke. "He was one prickly bastard."

"What does he have to do with Luthor?" Kal knew that Luthor was the bald man, the one whose terror was so amusing when he had allowed that strange being to begin to siphon off his energy before the being was utterly overwhelmed and exploded from the raw power. "What's the connection?"

"We think that Luthor contacted Steppenwolf to come to Earth and defeat us so that he could acquire the Mother Boxes." The Flash answered almost flippantly, "We beat him, though; we kicked his ass!"

Kal frowned, allowing a look of bemusement to cross his face to hide his anger. "Mother Boxes? What are those? It sounds like a… treasure or something."

"They are incredible technology," the Cyborg answered. "It saved my life and constructed me into… this. It's like a computer, I think."

"That's enough," Batman growled out, seeming not to trust Kal; the human was somewhat intelligent, it seemed. "We have questions for you, sir."

"What are they?" He raised an eyebrow, "What do you want to know?"

Batman turned around, "Not here. Follow us."

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Who are you?" The Flash asked, a silent awe carved into his features beneath his mask, Kal noticed. "You're incredibly fast, even compared to me."

"Thank you, Flash," he smiled slightly. "It's fun, isn't it? The power of time standing still only for you?"

The Flash bobbed his head up and down. "Yes! You get me, man!"

"Who are you, sir?" Batman cut through their conversation, sitting at the head of the table. "How come we've never encountered you before?"

"My name is Kal and I've always been wary of being out in the open, of showing the world of my existence."

"Why?" The man with the bow questioned, a curious look on his face. "The government?"

"That, and other races in the universe."

The Green Lantern tensed just as Kal knew he would. "How so, Kal?"

"I learned that I was a Kryptonian."

"That's impossible!" The Green Lantern jumped to his feet and pointed the ring at Kal, an ominous green glow smoking from the object. "Krypton and all of its inhabitants are gone. The planet exploded thirty years ago!"

"Why is it impossible?" The man with the Trident interjected, staring at the Green Lantern.

"This is the reaction I was talking about," he commented dryly, amused at the bemused expressions on everyone, save the Green Lantern's, faces. "I figured if people knew of whose bloodline I hail from, they would hate and fear me."

"What the hell is a Kryptonian?" The sonic screamer demanded. "Who were they?"

All eyes looked at Kal but he shrugged. "I know almost nothing about them except that they were Eradicators."

"J'onn, do you know?" The daughter of Zeus glanced at the green-skinned alien, "Have you heard of them?"

"Only legends, Diana, myths that terrified me." Kal met the green-skinned alien's penetrating stare evenly, openly. "They were the finest builders in the cosmos, but also its most unforgiving and merciless warriors."

"Eradication is as it sounds," the Cyborg's eyes were suddenly glowing. "Krypton would destroy any race that challenged them, or even if they didn't. They would slaughter them all and take their technology for their own. They were feared, and rightly so," he gasped and his eyes stopped glowing. "I somehow knew that information."

"That's amazing," he complimented, trying to earn a good reputation with the Cyborg. "You could do much good with that."

"If you, a Kryptonian, survived, there could be more out there." The Green Lantern stared at Kal with blatant mistrust. "I must warn the Guardians of Oa."

Kal spoke, "You are hating me because of something that my ancestors did. Don't you know? The sins of the father don't fall to the son. Why are you blaming me for something that my race did that I had nothing to do with. I was raised here on Earth, sent here right before Krypton exploded. I've been raised human, not Kryptonian."

"Where were you raised, then?" Batman pressed, "How come you only helped us now? Why not show up sooner? We could have used you to stop Steppenwolf and the Injustice League resurrecting Black Adam."

"As I said earlier, Batman," the daughter of Zeus spoke before he could. "Black Adam wasn't resurrected, just rescued."

Batman ignored Wonder Woman. "Answer the questions, sir."

"I was raised in the midwest of America. I am not telling you anything else about that because to be blunt, I don't trust you. That is my business, not your own. I helped you today because you guys needed it. I was across the city and I could hear what was going on. I knew that if I didn't help, all of you would have most likely died. I was too afraid to go against Steppenwolf and it seemed to me that you could handle him. Black Adam along with that Lobo fellow, on the other hand, were going to kill you earlier. I refused to let that happen."

"What can you do, Kal?" Wonder Woman didn't look wary of him unlike the others - even the Flash and Cyborg. "What power do you possess? You were able to go toe-to-toe with Black Adam when none of us, not even I, could truly do that. Just touching you for several seconds overwhelmed Parasite and killed him. What are your abilities?"

Kal felt their eyes on him and after thinking of the powers that he had used against the Injustice League, he shrugged innocently, humbly. "I'm fast, strong, durable, can shoot lasers out of my eyes, can hear well, my lungs can produce wind, and I can heal quickly."

"That's incredible," the man with the bow whistled. "I can see why you fucked up the Injustice League and Black Adam."

"Indeed," Batman frowned. "You have the potential to be incredibly dangerous."

"What are you saying?" He allowed outrage to appear on his face. "You think that I'm… like one of those guys on the Injustice League, like Black Adam?"

"I am." Batman didn't look apologetic and Kal felt vaguely impressed. "You are a threat."

Wonder Woman glared at her teammate. "I think that Batman is nervous because of what happened with the Injustice League earlier."

"I'm not- "

"You are," the daughter of Zeus harshly cut Batman off and Kal almost smiled. "Forgive him, but I would like to be the first to thank you for what you did. Without your interruption, I fear that we would be dead; you saved us all."

The Flash nodded his head up and down. "Yes, thank you, Kal."

"You're welcome," he inclined his head, hiding his smirk when he heard all of the other League members except Batman murmur their own thanks.

"What are you going to do now?" The man with the bow questioned, twirling an arrow between his fingers. "I mean, are you going to start hero-work, or still stay in the shadows?"

Kal leaned back in his chair, hesitation written in his face. "I don't know… I'd never given it thought."

"I formally invite you to join the Justice League." Batman declared, his words snapping through the suddenly silent room. "Not even I can deny that he would be a major asset to us all; he would immediately become our most powerful member based on what I have seen."

"Thank you for the invitation, Batman," he said after a moment, seeing right through the human's words, seeing the true intentions. The human wanted to watch him, keep tabs on him and what better way than for him to become a member of the Justice League? As Darkseid had always told him, keep your friends close but your enemies even closer. It seemed Batman followed the same philosophy, not that Kal could blame him.

"Do you accept, then?" The Flash asked, hands vibrating with excitement. "Will you join?"

He hesitated before he spoke. "I believe that not all of you want me. Perhaps, if you voted as a team, you could all decide whether I should have an invitation."

The daughter of Zeus nodded her head. "Yes, that is an excellent suggestion, Kal. All right, everyone, who seconds the notion that an invitation for Kal should be extended?" Kal hid his amusement when the only one who didn't haltingly or quickly raise their hand was the Green Lantern. "John, why not? I don't understand," he did admit that, indeed, Wonder Woman looked confused.

Kal could smell the distrust as an odious stench wafting off of the Green Lantern. "You're right, none of you understand! He is a Kryptonian, an Eradicator who is stronger than us all. You saw what he did to Black Adam, to the entire Injustice League! He could do the same to us, could he not?"

When Wonder Woman looked deprived of utterance, her lovely full lips parted in dismay and shock, Kal spoke. "I understand your distrust of me, I do. I'm the new guy who none of you know, but I don't follow why you think that I would… attack you, attack any of you?"

"You're a Kryptonian."

"Can't we cut the guy some slack, John?" The Flash's eyebrows were furrowed together behind his mask. "He's clearly not like those… Eradicators; he saved all of us!"

"John, we all know that's true," the daughter of Zeus stared at the Green Lantern with beseeching eyes. "We would all be dead, slaughtered by Black Adam and the Injustice League if it weren't for Kal. Indeed, he did save all of our lives, so the least we could do is offer him a place amongst us and trust him."

The man with the bow shrugged. "I'm game if you all are. He seems like a good guy."

"I concur," the sonic screecher declared and Kal didn't fail to notice how the man with the bow perked up.

"At least whatever is in my head is saying that a Kryptonian would be an immediate, second-to-none deterrent to anybody like Steppenwolf looking for the Mother Boxes." The Cyborg stared at him critically, and after scanning him, Kal could see that most of his body was no longer human, but strong metal given to him by the Mother Box that housed part of the essence of Kal's grandfather. "I say that he should join. I think that it would be better for everyone."

"He saved my life," the man with the Trident said, fingers gripping the weapon lightly but firmly. "I owe him a perennial debt - and Atlantis does, too." Kal raised his eyebrows at that information; that could be very useful. "He deserves a place in the Justice League and nothing less. It would be an honor to fight alongside him."

All eyes, including Kal's, stared at the green-skinned alien, whose orange eyes were glowing, staring back at him intently. Within moments, Kal felt a mind brush against his impenetrable one and he suddenly realized that the green-skinned one would, indeed, be a dangerous foe. Thankfully, his telepathic defenses were fathomable through training and experience, so the green-skinned alien couldn't reveal his true motives.

The mind pulled back and the green-skinned alien looked befuddled. "It's strange; there is nothing for me to connect my mind to. It's as if he doesn't even have a mind."

"That's similar to what Gorilla Grodd said earlier, if I'm not mistaken." Wonder Woman commented, "It must be part of his physiology, then, immunity to telepathic attacks."

Batman frowned harshly while the green-skinned alien stared at him intently, but Kal just stared back openly. "Frankly, I'm not even comfortable with you looking inside my mind and honestly, I didn't have any idea that I was… immune to it. If it would help, I would un-immune myself if I could."

"That's kind," the green-skinned alien said softly before straightening. "I think that he should join, too. Gorilla Grodd is someone who was able to rival myself in telepathic strength. If we encountered a telepathic individual who was stronger than me, then Kal is insurance that they wouldn't overwhelm us all because he is immune to such an attack."

Batman stared at Green Lantern, the only one who still didn't agree with Kal joining. "Stewart, I know that you don't trust him but I don't, either. Think of it this way: with him in the League, we can keep an eye on him to make sure that he's not doing anything… suspicious."

The Green Lantern nodded, the severe lines in his face lessening. "All right, then. I second his joining."

The daughter of Zeus smiled brilliantly and Kal wondered how long it would take him to have her fully - and he knew that when he did, he would kill her for what she did to his cousin. "That's excellent! Welcome to the Justice League, Kal."

"Wait," the Flash cried out. "What about his superhero name?"

Kal blinked, "What?"

"You know, the world can't just call you Kal! They call me the Flash instead of my real name; we need one for you!"

"Oh," Kal's lips curved slightly and he stared directly at Wonder Woman. "How about Superman?"

XxXxXxXxXxX

The humans had learned of his arrival quicker than he had anticipated but it was of no consequence to himself. Apparently, a technological innovation that could hover high in the sky had filmed his appearance before the Injustice League. Ever since, the video had spread like fire itself across the entire planet. The daughter of Zeus had commissioned a release of information to the humans' news outlets about the Justice League's newest hero: Superman.

"Man, I thought that Diana was famous, but you blow her out of the park." The Flash sat in front of him at the table where Kal was trying to consume what the humans called sustenance. "Your name is everywhere; it's broken records across media and video views. You're the biggest hero in the history of the world already!"

Kal swallowed the bite of food. "I just did what I could, that's all."

"What you did was save our asses, Kal," the Flash's eyes were honest and to Kal's surprise, the human pulled off his mask. "I know that we all already thanked you, but I want to say it again. Without you, I would have been toast. That… Lobo guy had me in his grip and I had never felt so terrified in my life. Then you showed up and changed everything, what I had thought would be my final moments on Earth."

"You're welcome, Flash- "

"No, it's Barry. Please, call me Barry, not Flash."

"Barry, you're welcome. It was the right thing to do and I would have never forgiven myself if I hadn't… interfered."

The Flash grinned, "You'll get the opportunity to interfere in lots of other stuff, trust me."

"Is that right?"

"Absolutely," the Flash pulled out what he had learned was a phone and frowned. "Hey, sorry about this, but my wife is calling me. I gotta go."

Before he could even respond, the Flash blurred away, Kal's eyes following him in amusement.

The man with the Trident stepped away from the drinking machine and sat down in the Flash's seat. "I hope you don't mind, Kal. I wished to speak with you."

Kal smiled, "Not at all, not at all. Please, be my guest."

"You have good manners; it's refreshing."

"It grates on your nerves when someone doesn't show you respect, doesn't it? I know it does me."

"Yes, exactly! It is an irritant that I suspect will forever afflict me."

"I'd reckon that's a good irritant, though."

"Probably. Now, I wanted to speak to you because I am curious."

He raised his brows, "About what?"

"You. Your power is beyond fathoming and it rightly defines you as royalty, but in spite of your obvious royal upbringing, you still act humble."

Kal's smile faded, "You know of my upbringing?"

"Of course, my friend. As one royal to another, it's impossible to miss. I fancy that Diana has already seen it as I have. You carry yourself with power and grace, authority that must be followed; your manners are good. I am curious about whose royalty you belong to besides the Eradicators. You weren't born with those traits; you learned them. From whom did you learn them? You said that you were raised in the midwest of America, but the only possibility that makes sense is that you were raised by a wealthy businessman who entertained men of great power."

"You are smart," he commented. "I had no idea that it was so blatant; you are correct."

"By whom were you raised?"

"I'd prefer not to speak of my family; there was a… conflict of interest between us."

"Aye, I understand, my friend," the man with the Trident stood up and smiled. "Atlantis is always open to you; if you need anything, call upon me and you shall have your desire if it's within my power."

"I will, thank you."

He watched the fellow royal depart and then quickly turned back to his meal and ate the rest of it; his ears listened to Batman and the daughter of Zeus' conversation from across the building.

"I don't trust him, Diana. His sudden appearance is suspicious."

"How, Bruce? Kal saved all of our lives. Why can't you just accept that there are some people who do things out of the goodness of their heart?"

"Because people like that don't exist; it's a fool's belief."

"And you think that I'm a fool?"

"Yes. This Kal, if that's even his name, could be lying but you're too blinded by your gratefulness and what I suspect is attraction; your emotions cloud your judgment."

"My judgment is sound, Bruce. How is yours?"

"Clear."

"It's not, but one day you will see that."

"I would say the same about yours but we cannot afford to be in conflict, not in such a precarious situation. The fact that J'onn can't read his mind is particularly disconcerting."

"Maybe the only fool is you, Bruce. You don't know how to trust anyone; you keep them at arm's length. What is suspicious about Kal? Why are you so adamant about distrusting him, in spite of him saving our lives?"

"The fact that J'onn can't read his mind- "

"That's only your paranoia; you are casting your own beliefs onto him without knowing who he truly is."

"Perhaps, but he miraculously saved us all, beat the entire Injustice League like they were children, including Black Adam, and then he sped away with Lobo and Black Adam and we have no idea where they had gone. For all we know, he might have killed Black Adam instead of the story about him turning to dust."

"Even if that's true, which I doubt, how is that a bad thing, Bruce?"

"He murdered him."

"Now you're trying to shift the narrative."

"Fine, he could have killed Black Adam."

"And what exactly did you think would happen? Black Adam was a monster, Bruce. I was raised on stories of his unholy power; it was a blessing that my father and uncles imprisoned him."

"We would have been able to imprison him, somehow. We would never have killed him, but this Kal easily could have; he could be a murderer."

"There is nothing on this planet that could have contained Black Adam. All of the artifacts to cast him back into the prison from whence he stayed for thousands of years are gone. We couldn't have reached it; he would always be a massive threat. The only solution was his death."

"That's unacceptable."

"Why?"

"There's always another way."

"Now who is allowing their emotions to cloud their judgment?"

"Damn you, Diana! I'm trying to keep us from being destroyed."

"Kal made certain of that already."

"... I see that your mind won't be changed."

"I hope that yours will be."

He smiled slightly, ignoring the rest of their conversation. It seemed that his strongest allies were the Flash, the man with the Trident, and the accursed daughter of Zeus. Kal knew that it wasn't enough; he needed more. His eyes searched the building and he found the Cyborg creature.

It was time to secure another ally.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Diana walked into the sparring room and wasn't surprised to see Oliver and Dinah in the ring. She was searching for Kal and had hoped to find him with the others but she didn't know why she had thought that. Although he was now officially a League member, nobody seemed to want to converse with him.

It angered her.

"Hey, Diana," Dinah rolled away from Oliver and peered down at her from the ring. "What do you think?"

She raised a brow and stepped closer. "About what? You need to be more specific."

"She means the new guy, Kal." Oliver stood next to Dinah, drinking from a water bottle. "What do you think about him?"

"Why don't you form your own opinions?" She challenged, "Why are you asking me?"

"Are you serious? That guy could punch the fuckin' atoms out of me with just his pinky finger."

"We ask you, Diana," Dinah cut in, "because it seems that you trust him."

"I do. I'm actually looking for him, myself, but haven't been able to find him."

"I'd tell you to find J'onn but since Kal's mind isn't there, it wouldn't help."

"Thanks, Oliver."

"I guess that it wouldn't be too bad to look for him, either." Dinah's eyes looked through Diana and she wondered what had happened. "He is definitely the hottest guy I've ever seen."

"That's just cruel," Oliver muttered. "You don't see me talking about other girls."

"I'll leave you two to discuss this… breach," she said awkwardly and left the room before any more words would reach her.

Where was Kal?

Diana passed J'onn after turning the corner and a thought occurred to her. "Is there anyone in the building who is speaking with Kal?"

"Yes, I believe so. Victor's thoughts dwell on Kal; it seems that our newest member is with him in the workshop."

She smiled, "Thank you, J'onn."

"You're welcome, but a moment, Diana?"

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"I do have concerns, in spite of my best efforts."

Diana frowned but didn't allow her frustration to control her. "Tell me about them, then."

"It's just that… the Kryptonians were a grandiose myth of power and death. That's all that I ever heard about them, the thinly-veiled fear when someone dared call upon their name in a whisper. I have always been afraid of the Kryptonians, Diana; you would as well if you knew the stories."

"Share with me the scariest story, J'onn. Help me understand because frankly, I don't. I seem to be the only one, save for Barry and Arthur, who trusts Kal."

"When I was young, I was told of the myth of Zod. The universe quaked before his onslaught; he commanded the Kryptonian warriors and eradicated every planet in his quest to achieve the greatest feat imaginable, leaving nothing except death in his wake."

"What was the feat that this Zod was trying to achieve?"

"He sought to amass enough power to kill Krypton's god, Rao."

"What?" Diana's faltered, placing a tense hand on the wall. "That's impossible, J'onn. I know from personal experience that only a god can kill another god."

"Zod somehow ascended to a higher plane of existence, then." J'onn looked fearful and Diana had never imagined such an expression to cross his usual, eerily calm features. "The legend declares that Rao was the Supreme Leader of the High Throne of the Cosmos, but in spite of all of that unimaginable might, Zod slew his god."

Deprived of words, she brought her shaking fingers to her lips, gathering the sudden moisture there. "That can't be…"

"If that is the true potential of a Kryptonian, what hope could anyone, nonetheless us have if Kal decided to turn against us?"

"You don't know that Kal would betray us! Now you're acting like Bruce, J'onn."

J'onn looked ashamed and the sight cooled Diana's sudden ire. "I am the last of my people and I don't have much family left in existence, but you all, everyone in the League are my family, now. I don't want to lose that."

Diana softened and placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. "You are part of my family, too. I understand the fear of losing that, but if we trust each other, nothing will ever break us. I'm choosing to give Kal a chance, and I have taken into account the stories of Krypton, but we can't judge Kal by those stories; he isn't part of them. He had no say in any of the deeds Zod may or may not have committed."

"Kal does seem like a good person," her friend admitted, looking away, face slowly settling back into its calm countenance. "I suppose that my fear of those stories are inflicting me with fear towards him and doubt about his agenda."

"Come with me," she grabbed his hand. "I'm going to speak with Kal and this will give you the opportunity to be in his presence, to learn about him."

J'onn tilted his head, "You're fascinated by him."

"I am," she said without shame. "I mean, we were all going to die, J'onn; our final moments in existence had arrived. Then, when it all seemed hopeless, Kal appeared and defeated all of the Injustice League, with whom we have struggled fiercely in the past; he saved my life, saved all of our lives. That's never happened to me before. I've never encountered someone who was good who was, at the same time, more powerful than myself. Even you, J'onn, when confronted with divine power, struggled mightily."

"But Kal didn't; he smacked Black Adam aside with ease."

"Exactly. He even caught the monster's punches without blinking. I've never experienced such… such _raw power,_ J'onn, not even from Ares and the other gods who I've encountered, among them my father. All of my life, from my experiences, I've always believed that those with such mighty, divine power were monsters just as Black Adam and Steppenwolf and Ares, along with all of the other gods; they couldn't be good or trusted."

"And then Kal shattered that belief."

"Yes. I am more than willing to give him chances, J'onn, to earn all of our trust and respect, our admiration."

"I don't think admiration is needed, Diana."

She frowned, looking up at him in bemusement. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone in the world, including us in the League, already admire him greatly. The apex of our teammates' thoughts revolve around Kal and how, in Barry's words, he's so fucking awesome."

Diana smiled, "Then come with me and see your admiration overcome your fear; face Kal with me."

"Okay."

XxXxXxXxXxX

She walked into the workshop and paused at the expression on Victor's face; it was relief and pure, a relaxing of his human features. She hadn't seen that on her friend's face before; she had known of his struggle with accepting what had happened to him, but no matter her words of consolation, Victor had never been able to look as he did now.

"So the Mother Box... gave birth to you, then?" Kal's perplexed voice entered her ears and she saw her savior sitting across from Victor on a stool, still somehow displaying noble upbringing, something that brought an endless wave of curiosity for Diana.

"It saved my life. When Steppenwolf appeared, he was looking for the Mother Boxes and when he encountered me, he… he said that I was borne of... him, as in the Mother Box, or maybe it should be called the Father Box; he then called me 'uncle'. He said that one day I would understand and accept my glorious burden, that I will side with him and his family."

Kal frowned before it cleared from his face. "I wouldn't listen to Steppenwolf's words, Victor; he said those things to probably invoke a reaction of fear, to provoke you to do something that you would regret. You shouldn't worry," he then turned his head to stare directly at her. "Wouldn't you agree, Wonder Woman?"

"Absolutely," she concurred and stepped closer to them, J'onn following behind her. "Please, Kal, call me Diana."

"As you wish… Diana," her savior inclined his head with a smile and looked back at Victor. "You can do a lot with your gifts by- "

"Gifts?" Victor looked appalled, his features closing off again. "You call… this a gift?"

Diana watched in amazement as Kal didn't even blink. "You're still alive, aren't you, Victor? As you said yourself, it saved your life."

"People look at me like I'm a monster, a freak beyond any other!"

"Then that's their fault, not yours. You're not to blame for their idiocy."

Victor leaned back and shook his head and swallowed. "Yes, but I didn't want it. Look at me! I'm a… cyborg, barely even a man; I'm more machine, now. It's why I wanted Lobo's cells! That creature could heal from anything; the thing in my head said that he was a Czarnian. I thought that if I acquired some samples of his cells, I would be able to fix myself, able to heal from what happened."

"Oh, Victor," she stated softly, sympathetically. "That's an alien's blood and who knows what that could have done to what remains of your human body?"

"I know, but… but I was desperate." Victor leaned forward and bowed his head in dismay. "I'm more machine now than man. I can't even have sex; it's all gone. All I want is to return to who I was before."

"You know, some of the best gifts you ever receive in life are the ones that you don't want or ask for." Kal stared at him evenly, "You have potential but the only one who can reach that potential is you; your outlook influences your actions. What happened to you must be traumatic, but be honest with yourself; no more lies, Victor."

"What… what do you mean? What lies?"

"Look inward, not just of your body, but of your heart and soul." Diana was mesmerized by Kal, watching as his eyes stared at Victor with the intensity of a blazing sun. "Be honest about what you see and then accept it because ultimately, you can't change it; you can only accept it. These gifts - yes, gifts - have potential; you yourself have potential. Only you are something, Victor, and nobody, not even what happened to you can change that."

J'onn stepped forward, "He's correct, Victor."

Victor stared at Kal with his human eye wide. "You're right… I can do things now that I never thought possible."

"Such as?" Kal inquired almost eagerly and Diana was excited to see her friend finally open up with someone beside herself. "What did the Mother Box give you besides the obvious?"

"I'm a lot stronger now; every day, it feels like I evolve more and more - become more modified. I can fly through various thrusters in my… body, I'm very durable, I can regenerate, I can shapeshift various parts of me into weapons like my plasma cannon which even stunned Steppenwolf- " Diana didn't fail to notice that Kal's eyebrows shot upward at Victor's mention of Steppenwolf. "- and my rocket launcher which was, at first but not for long, useful when fighting Black Adam and different things such as technological equipment whenever I want, and I can manipulate technology."

"It's incredible," she cut in, hoping that Victor would explain more, urging him to. "The things that he can do with technology, Kal, I've never seen anything like it."

"None of us have," J'onn intoned calmly beside her and she was relieved to see that he was more relaxed. "Indeed, it is incredible."

Kal's eyebrows rose slightly, "How can you manipulate technology, then?"

Victor sat up a little straighter. "I am able to interface and control any system that I have access to; it allows me to manipulate data seamlessly. I can hack anywhere, even view the Pentagon's records and secrets. The thing in my head keeps me constantly plugged into the internet, processing all of the vast amounts of code and data." Victor's lips twitched upward and Diana smiled at the sight. "Like, right now, the thing in my head keeps telling me how powerful a Kryptonian is; it's sifting through all of the data on the internet about the League's newest member: Superman. The fight with the Injustice League is everywhere, being streamed constantly."

Diana watched as Kal leaned back, a pleased expression on his chiseled, handsome features. "That is incredible, Victor. Is there anything else that you can do?"

"Oh, um, I can create holographic projections of the data that I discover on the internet." Victor slowly unfurled his hands from his lap and before their eyes, the battle with the Injustice League floated in the air in a dull color for several moments before Victor closed his hands. "I know that through my mechanical interfacing, I can bolster the efficiency of any mechanical or cybernetic apparatus that I stumble across. I often do this with Batman's vehicles and for the League's cyber security so people like Lex Luthor couldn't hack into us."

"And the Mother Box… was it destroyed, then?" Kal looked interested and Diana couldn't blame him; she herself had always been fascinated but wary of them. "Do you still have it?"

"After Steppenwolf attempted to combine them into something called the Unity, after we barely managed to stop him thanks to Diana," Kal's eyes glanced at her and she felt the heat of his gaze; it induced pleasure. "We each separated them again; I am in control of one, the Atlanteans are back in control of theirs, and the Amazons are protecting theirs again." Victor pointed at his head, "It constantly tells me that I should combine them, revealing something about something called a Yuga Khan, but I ignore it because of what would happen."

"What would happen, Victor?" Kal questioned with urgency, "What does it do?"

"Diana was raised on the stories. I think that she would know more."

She wet her lips and nodded at Kal. "I am a lot older than I look."

"How much older?"

"Don't you know that it's rude to ask a woman's age, Kal?"

He didn't even blink, "I'm curious."

"I'm a little less than a thousand years old."

Kal smiled, "You look fantastic, then."

Refusing to allow the blush to adorn her cheeks, Diana continued. "Steppenwolf came here before my birth; he tried to conquer Earth. He failed thanks to my family's intervention. I am Zeus' daughter - yes, he was real." For some reason, based on Kal's expression, that didn't surprise him. "My father and brother, Ares, along with my uncles faced Steppenwolf's first invasion; they were why the Earth was liberated from potential darkness. From what my mother shared with me growing up, the gods believed that the Unity would transform the Earth into the place of Steppenwolf's birth, an apocalyptic hellscape."

"And that… Yuga Khan?"

"I've never heard of that before," she frowned and glanced at Victor. "Is that something new? You didn't share it with me."

"It started recently," her friend said slowly, spacing his words. "It's hard to understand because it's in a different language, a primordial one that I can't even fathom. The only words that I can pick out are 'Yuga Khan.' I think that it's a name."

"I think that you're right," J'onn suddenly interrupted. "There were legends amongst my people that were spread that mentioned Yuga Khan."

"What did they say?" Kal demanded and Diana was impressed; the air brimmed with absolute authority. "What about Yuga Khan?"

"The story was mainly of someone named Zonuz, a mighty warrior who was killed by the even stronger Yuga Khan; they said the battle destroyed a planet and a Manhunter witnessed the shockwave of the planet erupting."

"I don't know what the Mother Boxes would have to do with Yuga Khan, then." Victor surmised, "What, would the Mother Boxes release his spirit and that's how the Unity transforms the world into an apocalyptic hellscape if your… gods were right?"

"Who knows?" Kal said lightly, leaning back. "As long as the Mother Boxes are safe, you'll never find out. They are safe, right? Nobody will get them from you, the Atlanteans, or the Amazons?"

Diana nodded her head, "My people protect theirs on my home island, while Atlantis protects theirs under the ocean."

"And mine is secure," Victor added. "I've hidden it with the strongest technology on the planet; no one like Steppenwolf will ever get to form the Unity."

"And even if they do, we'll be there to stop them," she added firmly. "That includes you, now, Kal. We'll be so much stronger because of your presence."

"I'm glad," he smiled. "Thank you for treating me kindly; it feels… nice. I've noticed that several of your- sorry, I mean my teammates don't trust me."

J'onn looked guilty, "Forgive those who don't trust you, Kal. I myself, until recently, was the same; it was my fear of your people and I unfairly judged you based on your kin's actions."

Kal nodded, "I understand why, but it doesn't mean that it's not disappointing."

"They'll come around," she hastily asserted with a concerned smile. "Just give them time."

"Don't worry, I will," his large hands were slack on his legs. "In fact, I think that I'd be worried if all of you trusted me right away."

"What do you mean?" Diana's smile faded, "Why do you say that?"

"I think I understand what he means." Victor inputted, "He's glad that we wouldn't be taken advantage of."

Diana, for whatever reason, felt hurt. "Is that true?"

Kal blinked, "That's not necessarily what I meant."

"What did you mean, then?" J'onn inquired, "I'm curious."

"I meant that there are many people who would manipulate others for their gain; it happens all of the time. I've learned in my life that people aren't always who they say they are."

"You speak from personal experience," she said softly in realization. "It happened to you?"

"No, but when you can do what I do, see and hear what I see and hear, then you realize that truth."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, not knowing why she did. "I can't imagine."

Kal looked shocked before it cleared from his face. "Thank you; it's not fun all of the time."

"I think that I might know what you mean, Kal." J'onn murmured, "My telepathy… it is a burden as much as a gift. I can hear the humans' thoughts; there is so much fear but joy, too."

"You do understand, then," he stared curiously at J'onn. "If I may ask, what race are you hailed from? You're an alien like me."

"I am from Mars, the last of my people."

"So you understand what that's like, too." Kal whispered and seemed to stare at J'onn in a new light. "We may be kindred spirits, J'onn."

Diana glimpsed the sudden hope on J'onn's face and she realized that slowly, Kal was gaining trust through the League; it relieved her. Hopefully, the others like Bruce would begin to trust Kal, as well; their conversation from earlier still angered her.

XxXxXxXxXxX

After J'onn and Victor left the workshop, Diana was left alone with Kal; she stood near him, not really knowing what to say.

"Your father is Zeus?" Kal suddenly asked and she was thankful that he spoke first. "I don't know what to think of that."

She felt a small laugh escape. "I can't blame you. I was… I was as shocked as you."

His eyebrows rose and he looked even more interested. "What do you mean?"

"I… I only learned of my true parentage less than a century ago. For my whole life prior to the truth, I had believed myself to be a creation of clay."

"What?" Kal blinked, "What do you mean clay?"

Diana smiled at his reaction, "The story that my mother told me growing up was that she had been so desperate for a child of her own flesh and blood, but she was incapable of bearing a child because… because of Heracles' actions. Before my birth, before Steppenwolf's first invasion, Heracles was just a demigod instead of the god he later became; he eventually came to my homeland, Themyscira. All of the Amazons thought that he was amazing and kind, generous beyond any man for he was Zeus' son, but then… the hidden depravity was revealed." Kal didn't really look surprised by her words and it was a relief. Usually, everyone thought that Heracles was an amazing hero when he was anything but; it pleased her that Kal realized already that he wasn't. "He subjugated my people and raped them; my mother was his favorite and as a result of his… actions, she was injured internally and became incapable of bearing a child."

"You said that Heracles became a god later, though," he pointed out slowly, star-like eyes roaming her face in contemplation. "He wasn't… punished for what he did?"

"Not really," she admitted softly. "At least, I don't think so. When he first became a god, he was bound beneath Themyscira for several centuries but that's it."

"That's pretty lenient."

"I've always thought so but Zeus refused to punish his favored son harshly."

"And what happened to your mother? She was incapable of bearing a child."

Diana nodded sadly, "She prayed to the gods, specifically to Zeus and Apollo, to heal her womb, her body so that she could bear a child. Then my mother always told me that she shaped me out of clay and Zeus and the other gods breathed life into it and then it became flesh and I was born."

"But that's not what happened."

"No, it's not," she sighed. "I was always stronger and better than all of my Amazon sisters and it was always thought to be because of my clay origin. But that wasn't the truth, you're correct. I later learned that Zeus had descended down to my mother and to have a beautiful daughter of her own flesh and blood, she willingly gave herself to him. My parentage was hidden for so long because my mother feared Hera's wrath."

"How did you find out?"

"A little less than a century ago, Ares broke free from his prison - how, no one ever discovered - and instigated a war unlike anything ever previously seen on Earth: World War I. The war fueled and fanned his power and he was strengthened greatly, to levels never thought possible; he attacked Olympus and killed everyone who stood in his way, including Heracles. I have no idea how, but he even managed to somehow kill my uncles and father. Because of it, I'm the Last Olympian."

Kal suddenly laughed, startling her. "So in the League, there is the Last Olympian, the Last Martian, and finally, the Last Kryptonian."

"Quite true," she wet her lips and saw Kal's eyes follow the actions. "Ares was bursting with power and he attacked Themyscira and he killed many of my sisters. I fought him and was being beaten badly; he was full of evil. Then my father's spirit appeared when I was near death and said that I was his daughter, his last heir and that the burden fell to no other but me; he fired lightning at me and then something inside me was awakened. I was so much stronger and I felt the sky itself, the lightning dancing in my blood; they were part of me. While the other Amazons barely held him off, I snuck up behind Ares and killed him, slaying the god of war."

"And you knew your parentage."

"Yes, and so did everyone else on Themyscira. They were enraged that my mother had lied for so long and that she had laid with a man, no matter that it was the god, Zeus. They were going to rescind her Queenship and exile her off Themyscira but I refused to let that happen. I took her place and accepted the punishment for myself."

"That was noble."

"I had always been fascinated with man's world, and I had also grown weary of Themyscira. I yearned for freedom and while I can never go back to Themyscira because of the banishment, I'm okay with that - at least for now." Diana closed her eyes and remembered. "My mother was furious but was cowed by my words. Then I left Themyscira, never to return, and immediately, I… I somehow teleported to Olympus."

"Really?" She opened her eyes to see Kal sitting straighter. "You can teleport?"

"No, I can only teleport to Olympus - that's it. It's a beautiful sphere of… majestic tranquility and sometimes, I go there to remember my history, my lineage, my… my divine inheritance."

"Inheritance?"

Diana's lips parted and she revealed something that she had never revealed to anyone else. "When my father's spirit appeared to fire the lightning at me, he bestowed the mantle of the sky god unto me. It was all mine and I had effectively replaced my father as the god of the sky. But I didn't want it after I battled Ares. So when I went to Olympus, I somehow rejected it and where my father sat on his throne, there lays lightning itself, full of power and strength. Ares' essence lays on his throne, too, because nobody has destroyed it, including me. And finally, Aphrodite's lays on her throne. Each of them are there and when I go to Olympus, I see them, reminding me of what I can choose to do, who I can become."

"Where are the others?" Kal stared at her differently, looking very intrigued. "You could inherit all of that power? You could absorb it all?"

"I could if I wanted to," she admitted. "I can only assume that Ares destroyed all of the others, thinking them beneath him when he killed everyone. I don't know how my father's survived and I believe that Ares was fond of Aphrodite in spite of killing her, so he refrained from destroying her essence; it was common knowledge that they were lovers."

"Why don't you?" Kal leaned forward, eyes roving her face. "If you accepted those mantles, you could easily do what I did to the Justice League. You could have defeated Black Adam on your own, I'm certain. You could be a true god."

"Because I saw what all gods were, Kal," she replied softly. "Steppenwolf was evil, Ares was evil, Heracles was evil even before he became a god and was worse after, and even my father and uncles were cruel and sinister oftentimes. Aphrodite herself was notorious for her fickle nature and how grievous she could act. I fear that if I become a god, I will become like them. I don't want to be them, Kal. I'm… I'm content with who I am, now. I don't need the power."

"But you haven't destroyed them," he pointed out, tilting his head. "If you truly believed that, why haven't you destroyed them?"

"In case of an emergency," she whispered. "How else do you think that I beat Steppenwolf?"

Kal's eyes widened, "Wait… you… dawned the mantles to defeat him? That's how you beat him?"

"I only dawned my father's again," she admitted aloud for the first time; not even her teammates knew of how she had defeated Steppenwolf. They only thought that she had stopped holding back and unleashed her true capabilities, not that she had… almost cheated in a way. "It's how I beat Steppenwolf and then immediately after the battle, I teleported back to Olympus and forced the power to leave me."

"Wouldn't it bond with you, though?"

"That's what I'm afraid of," she whispered, her arms wrapping around her stomach in a rare show of vulnerability. "That's why I loathe to use them."

"And you didn't when facing the Injustice League. Why?"

Diana sighed, "I didn't realize how precarious the situation was until it was too late. When Parasite touched me, he stole everything. Because of that, I wouldn't be able to enter Olympus to claim the mantle until my strength and power returned."

Kal inhaled slowly, "Well, Diana, I must admit that you have become much more interesting to me during this conversation. I've… I've never heard of someone who would sacrifice power because that's a weakness."

She smiled at his words, "It is a weakness, yes, but it's one that I can live with - at least for now."

"Then you're either remarkable or stupid, Diana."

"Remarkable will do, Kal," she laughed before she quieted. "I've answered your questions. Now I have one of my own."

"Have your desire," he tilted his head in curiosity. "What is it?"

"Your Royal bearing cannot be denied," she raised a brow and leaned forward slightly. "It's plain to see with one who was raised as a Princess, but how are you… Royal?"

Kal nodded slowly, "The man with the Trident- "

"Arthur," she supplied. "His name is Arthur."

"Thank you. People seem to assume that I know their names when I don't. Anyway, Arthur said the same thing to me; he recognized it, too."

"But you said that you were raised in the American Midwest." Diana touched her Lasso, "Was that… did you lie?"

"I was adopted, obviously," he stated calmly, glancing at the Lasso curiously. "What is that?"

"It's the Lasso of Truth; it tells me whether or not someone is lying when in its grasp."

Kal raised a brow, "Do you not trust me, then?"

"No, no," she hastily assured with wide eyes, dropping the Lasso. "I'm just confused by how you're Royal."

"My father's a… brutal teacher, a broker who holds great power. As a result, I quickly learned to act that way, to act… as you said, Royal." Kal's tone was even; the words were blunt and easily said. "It was ingrained to act that way, especially when I learned that I was adopted. It was…" his star-like, beautiful eyes glazed slightly, surprising her and she listened in awe. "I always knew that I was different from my father and family; they look nothing like me. I was really young when I found out, only a few months old."

Diana's lips parted and her eyes bulged, "What? That's impossible. No one remembers things from that early of their life."

"I do," he commented almost flippantly; his eyes were serious. "I'm Kryptonian and I remember everything in my life. From the moment when I was born - and I even remember Krypton - to the moment when I die, I will hold no disparity in memory. I will remember all of it. My mental acuities even at a few months old were incredible and I could talk by then and walk. I knew by then how different I looked and how I could do things that others couldn't, and while I held memories of Krypton, I didn't understand them. It wasn't until I was told of my adoption when I understood and accepted it." Kal tilted his head and his lips twitched, "Just as you accepted that you were Zeus' daughter instead of creation from clay."

"It did take time," she confessed softly. "At first, after Ares' death, I felt betrayed. For almost nine centuries, my mother lied to me about the fundamental aspect of who I am. I mean, nothing had changed, but yet everything had."

"You didn't know what to believe was truth from your childhood and what wasn't." Kal stated bluntly, yet not unkindly. "Everything that your mother did was then called into question because you had no idea if you could believe her words."

"Yes!" Diana exclaimed, "That's exactly it. That's also why I decided to be exiled in my mother's place. I needed to get away from Themyscira and because I was exiled, I was given the chance to discover who I am without anyone else."

"And whom did you discover yourself to be?"

"A woman who believes in love and using compassion but realism to heal the world. I believe in making not just this world but all worlds better. My goal is for the Justice League to not be of just Earth, but all planets in the universe. I want us to be everywhere and keep the universe from falling to destruction to beings like Ares and Steppenwolf. I was raised by my mother, the Queen of Themyscira, so I know that a good ruler can make everything perfect. I desire for someone of just will and power to rule above and guide the universe into a new era."

"You may just get your wish, Diana."

Diana laughed, "Why is that? Everyone else says that my dream is illogical and unrealistic."

Kal fully smiled and it felt like his first true smile; she was astonished by how beautiful he was. "Because I agree, too, that a mighty ruler is who should be in charge. We can make it happen."

"Potentially, Kal, but we first need to focus on Earth," she smiled. "There's still a lot of work that must be done."

"I'll help you with it," he assured, nodding his head. "The universe will be united under one name."

XxXxXxXxXxX

 **Well, that's all for this one, everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed it and it would really help me out if you left a review to tell me what you thought.**

 ****Kal and the League become acquainted! I hope that their meeting seemed realistic and I also think that Batman would definitely demand for Kal to join the League to keep an eye on him. That's definitely something Batman-like to do. Remember, this incarnation of the Green Lantern is John Stewart and to me, he always seemed like a severe, no-nonsense, by-the-book space cop; he would definitely be wary of a Kryptonian. Most of the League, on the other hand, is more than willing to give Kal a chance after he literally saved all of their lives. This does include Diana and while some may disagree with that, let me explain. Diana is a warrior and in this story, has been alive for almost a millennium; she views Kal as a warrior who saved her in battle. As a result, she trusts him almost instinctively and plus, she is a really good person and believes the best in someone. Plus, her admiration for Kal is a strong force, too. She has never encountered someone who seems good and trustworthy who has the level of power that Kal possesses.**

 ****The world quickly learns of Kal's existence because of a helicopter recording his fight with the Injustice League! Then Arthur and Barry Allen talk with him. Arthur may not have been raised a Royal, but in this story, in my estimation, he has been a Royal for quite a while and would begin to adopt their customs for his own and even talk like them. The environment can influence thoughts and actions and that's what happened with him. Also, I think that he and Diana would recognize that Kal is Royalty; they could easily see it. Kal is really good at pretending to be someone who he isn't and lying, but he isn't that good. I also hoped that the overheard conversation between Batman and Diana was realistic. I tried to show their conflicting viewpoints and highlight the differences in their thought processes concerning killing. Remember, Diana was raised in a warrior society. While she abhors the taking of innocent life, she has no qualms with killing a madman or murderer. (The Maxwell Lord incident is well-documented, I'm certain, and that sums up Diana's character perfectly.)**

 ****Diana and J'onn find Kal with Victor Stone! Kal would undoubtedly realize what a useful asset Victor would be, so he befriends him, unconcerned with how Victor looks. In this story, Victor has rightly struggled with what happened to him but Kal sets him straight and Victor slowly begins to realize that just maybe, he should be thankful; he is alive, after all. He can do things that no one else can do and Diana and J'onn agree with Kal.**

 ****Diana reveals a lot about herself to Kal! Okay, Kal is significantly more powerful than Diana in this story right now; that's just a fact and you might not like it, but that's how it is - right now. Kal was raised by Darkseid himself and doesn't hold back; he has the last Yellow Lantern Ring and the Amulet of Anubis. Diana has her weapons from the gods and her strength but that's about it. I always intended for Diana to be a strong character for this story and if she is to get on a level with Kal, she must be a lot more powerful. So that's when I decided for the gods to be killed off and since a god can only kill another god, Diana becomes a full god, the next Zeus, to kill the overpowered, unstoppable Ares, but then she rejects her godhood, forcing it to leave her. So, if she chooses to, she can inherit the godhood and powers of Zeus, Ares, and Aphrodite. She fears who she would become if she accepted her godhood so she hasn't yet. Kal will probably help her see that she has nothing to fear. (After all, Aphrodite's essence would alleviate her concern that she would be lost in the bloodlust of Ares.)**

 **Okay, I know that Diana's final remarks about a ruler ruling everything might seem completely out of character, but I disagree. Her mother was Queen and Diana herself was raised as a Princess. That is the only type of government and ruling that she knows and understands. And more importantly, she saw that IT WORKED on Themyscira with her mother because her mother was a good and just ruler and as a result, Themyscira thrived because of it. Diana would have it in her mind that the only way for the world, for the very universe to be a utopia is to have a worthy ruler ruling over everyone to show them the way - as Hippolyta did on Themyscira. Kal, of course, is intrigued and agrees with her, forging their bond even more.**

 **I think that's everything, everyone. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I'd be more than happy to answer them. Also, leave a review so I know what you thought, whether or good or bad, for it would really help me out.**

 _ **Stay Safe  
**_ **ButtonPusher**


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